


Pokemon: Sins of Trainers

by shanebaer



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Gen, Original Character(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:34:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23613115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanebaer/pseuds/shanebaer
Summary: The Amber Act is a law that forces impoverished or academically failing children to become Pokemon Trainers. Anwen Tamarack is a young Trainer who runs away from home with designs on the Championship title. What she expected to be an exciting, carefree adventure turns into a harrowing trial-by-fire that will change her forever.





	1. Pyre

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Pokemon 0](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/581941) by Afroshock. 



> This is an alternate-universe spin-off of Pokemon 0 by Afroshock, though the story stands on its own. It hits a lot of the same beats as Pokemon 0 does, but with my own take on the worldbuilding of a darker Pokemon world influenced by wealth inequality and the politics of fear.

PREFACE.

I’ve been approached many times over the years asking for my side of the story. Usually from some hip new magazine for Trainers, sometimes from publishing companies. I’ve turned them all down. I never felt the need to tell my story before. Morgan had always declined to comment on her part in the events back then. Milo and Hilda, too, now that I think of it. Out of respect for them and their families, I had resolved to stay silent on the matter.

A few years ago, however, someone had reached out to me about writing a piece for the twentieth anniversary of the Amber Act’s repeal, since I had campaigned for its repeal back in the day. I had a lot to say. What was supposed to be a small article quickly snowballed into the book you are now holding.

Time changes things.

I felt it was important for people to remember what life was like back then. I didn’t understand it - not really - when I first set out as a Trainer. My aim when I had started writing was to take others down the same path I had walked: From blissful ignorance of the suffering in the world around me, into painful knowledge. It is not a comfortable path. The best ones never are.

This isn’t a story about me. It isn’t even about the Amber Act, really. At its heart, this book is a testament to the shortcomings of our humanity. It is an apology for the suffering we put children through in the name of security and economic gain. And it is a warning to never do so again.

In the writing of this, I’ve tried to use language that is as accessible as possible without being bogged down by details. Trainers reading this, or anyone else familiar with Pokemon, might already know a lot of what I take time to explain - things like Moves, or Abilities, or the operation of a Trainer’s PC. Readers without much of a background in Pokemon might want me to explain more than I do. I try to strike a balance.

As for acknowledgements, there are too many people to thank. This is, at its core, a story of my life, and I couldn’t fill an entire book with enough thanks to the people who have had a hand in shaping it. My editor deserves the highest praise for her patience with me. I was never much good at writing, so her guidance and expertise really shine through. And of course, I am eternally grateful to Morgan Yarrow for working with me to piece together the events that happened all those years ago. There wouldn’t be a story to tell if not for her.

Anwen Tamarack  
02 March 20XX  
Lake of Rage, Johto, URR

\---

INTRODUCTION.

It didn’t start out quite like you would expect.

The textbooks you read in school don't mention much else besides who I was and my role in the events surrounding the 16th and 17th Sinnoh League Championships. Maybe a picture of me - probably that one where I'm waving my hand, right after being given my Champion's Medal. Textbooks often use that photo, because just looking at it you wouldn't know how much blood and sweat it had taken to get there, and how many tears had been shed along the way. So much had been sacrificed for that moment, and you would never know. That's how the League likes to keep it.

Now kids are encouraged to set out on their own as Pokemon Trainers. Some leave for a few months, some for a few years. It’s seen as a positive influence. A good growing-up experience. But it wasn’t always that way.

About three decades ago when I became a Trainer, the United Regions were still in a state of flux. War damages, government reform, and rapid industrialization were taking their toll. Under the pretense of “controlling the wild Pokemon population,” the government was conscripting children as Trainers. Most of these were kids - children of poor, inner-city families who were performing badly in school. Failed your math class a couple times? Here’s your Pokedex, Trainer Card, and starter Pokemon. Now get the fuck out.

It sounds harsh when I put it like that, but it’s hard to overstate the reality brought about by the Amber Act. A lot of children died. They died of exposure, wild Pokemon attacks, and worse. Some were kidnapped and sold into slavery. The truth was, children who were forced into becoming Pokémon trainers had a very small chance of ever seeing their families again. 

I knew the stories, I’d heard them in school, whispered rumors of the world outside. Before I became a trainer, I attended Willow Private Academy in Viridian City. Willow Academy was - and I suppose still is - a prestigious school, but more importantly, it was cripplingly expensive. Only families of the entrenched aristocracy or Kalosian suzerainty could afford the steep cost of tuition. As a private institution, Willow Academy was not subject to the mass government screenings. To the students, the thought of becoming a trainer was just a bogeyman story.

Some kids idolized the Champions, sure. I certainly did. They were the first real celebrities in the United Regions. I really wanted that for myself - the fame and recognition, glory and affirmation. I guess I got caught up in the glamor and excitement. I liked Pokemon, of course, but maybe the main reason I left was because I aspired to something greater.

I’m getting ahead of myself. How about this:

My name is Anwen Tamarack, and I am the 17th Sinnoh Pokemon League Champion.

\---

CHAPTER I.

I stepped down out of the jeep. It had been around a week since I had last come down from the mountains. Even if Park Mills only barely qualified as civilization, it was nice just to see people go about their daily lives. Even the pungent scent of livestock was bearable.

I stored the keys to the jeep in my purse. I had a tendency to leave them in the ignition back home, but seeing as the vehicle was actually on long-term dispatch from the military motorpool, well, that was a conversation I didn’t need to have with my father. I glanced over at my companion. Tall and lanky, looking even more so as he held his arms high in the air, stretching himself after the ride to town. I smiled a bit as he scratched the stubble on his chin and yawned animatedly. He was so boyish sometimes. “Feeling hungry yet, Professor?”

He took a moment to finish stretching his arms before answering, “Yeah, I could eat. There’s a cafe right around here, isn’t there?” He craned his neck, scanning the length of main street.

“I think so.” I didn’t get to town enough to be familiar with it.

“There, I see it.” He stepped up onto the sidewalk and took my hand, “This way.”

It was sometime in August. In a few hours it would become suffocatingly hot, but for a moment the morning air was cool and refreshing. I didn’t mind being led along by Jacob. It didn’t concern me that the pair of us stood out like a Sudowoodo in this rural town - we would have regarded ourselves as being dressed casually, but it was obvious from my sundress to his waistcoat that we were anything but working-class. Least of all, I never bothered to question that my companion was seven or eight years my senior. I had other thoughts on my mind that day.

Jacob found the cafe with no problem. It was cozy inside, with a vague Kalosian theme. We found a table near a window and placed our orders quickly.

I leaned lazily on the table. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t find a way to phrase what I wanted to ask. I pursed my lips in frustration. “You said your package was being delivered today, right?” I managed with some awkwardness.

“Should be,” Jacob said, “If it isn’t already waiting for me at the post office.” He sipped on his coffee slowly before continuing, “It took the better part of the summer, but the Goldenrod University Pokemon Labs finally came through with my equipment request.”

I gulped down a mouthful of iapapa juice, letting it settle. I was having a hard time containing my anticipation. “And?”

Jacob leaned towards me and smiled. “Yes, your Pokédex is there, too.”

I leaned forward as well and kissed him. “You’re the best, Jacob,” I said with an audible sigh of relief, “You’re a damn tease, but you’re the best.”

His furious blushing was the only answer I got from him then.

We finished our breakfast leisurely. Jacob was eating some sort of pastry with honey, while I had a single, large Unfezant egg with bacon. He kept trying to make small talk, but I wager I wasn’t much for conversation. My thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

The train whistle sounded almost as soon as we walked out of the cafe, only just audible over the incessant drone of Nincada. Jacob kissed me lightly on the cheek before making his way down the street to the station. I waved him a short goodbye before setting my mind to my own errands for the day.

Morning had passed during our meal, and I reeled from the thickly humid air. It was dense and sticky and hot as a furnace and I hated it. I remember now that I didn’t deal with the heat so well when I was younger. I got used to it eventually, more out of necessity than anything else. But we’ll get to that later. I slid on my sunglasses and took a few shallow breaths to ease my discomfort. 

Annoyance and anticipation roared in my chest, and I noticed I was quickly becoming covered in a thin film of sweat. I tried to focus on something else as I wandered down the road towards the farmers’ market. If everything went according to plan, this would be my last opportunity to buy everything I needed.

\---

Jacob handed me a cigarette. I put it to my lips, leaning in close to him for a light. I drew in a deep breath and blew out a stream of smoke into the afternoon air.

From my seat I could see the small cluster of buildings that made up Tarn Village across the placid waters of Orchard Lake. That was where both Jacob and I lived. We were spending the rest of our free afternoon relaxing in each other’s company, away from the eyes of the world.

I took another long draw from my cigarette, then blew another column of white upward. I took a moment to watch it waver and dance before the gentle breeze took it away in pieces.

“Jacob,” I spoke softly, “What kinds of kids do you send off to be Trainers?”

My partner was reading a newspaper in the other seat of the jeep. A cigarette hung lazily out of the corner of his mouth. Jacob plucked it out before answering, “What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know. Are they younger or older?”

“Pretty young, I guess. Around thirteen is the most common. Junior high first-years who couldn’t make the cut.” He shrugged, “I don’t get sent as many kids as other labs do, though. Yugan Region is like that.”

“How come?” I asked as he paused to take another drag.

He exhaled slowly, “Some of the best farmland in the United Regions is here. Farms need farmers. Even the government understands that. So schools in Yugan are a little more lenient about their screening.”

“So, do you get more kids who come to you choosing to be Trainers?”

“No.”

“How do you know that for sure though?”

Jacob sighed roughly. “I know,” He said, “Because almost every single kid who comes to me cries.” He sounded pained, as if it hurt him to admit it. “Some of them cry when I ask them their name. Most cry when they see their first Pokemon. A lot of them cry the whole way through.”

I stayed quiet for a moment. I didn’t know whether to apologize or not.

Jacob continued before I could make up my mind, “Take a look at this.” He held up the copy of the Goldenrod Banner he had been reading a minute ago. The headline was ‘League Champion Lawrence Beech Busts Celadon Prostitution Ring’. He tossed it in my lap and went on, “Most of the article is just League propaganda. But it mentions most of the girls working there were very young. Some as young as thirteen. Probably every single one of those girls were registered as Trainers. Some might have been kidnapped, sure. Forced into it. But how many of them do you think chose it? How many do you think just gave up on being a Trainer? It might’ve even been their best option.”

I’d heard stories like that. I’d heard of some kids joining gangs, too. There weren’t a lot of options for Trainers, and most of those options were illegal. But when the alternative is homelessness and starvation, I guess whether something is legal or not matters somewhat less.

Jacob’s words still disappointed me, though. Not in a demoralizing way, really. It was heartbreaking is all. Were there really so few Trainers who were still fighting? Who wanted to fight?

I cast Jacob a hardened stare. “I will never stop trying. I promise.”

Jacob threw his head back in laughter. I furrowed my brow, confused. Did I say something wrong? He took a second to recover himself and continued, “I’m sorry,” He smiled, “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not trying to worry you, Annie. You’re not like a lot of Trainers, you know.”

He reached out to me, brushing the side of my face with his fingertips. I brought my hand up to his.

“You’re going to be great, Annie. I’m not worried about you. I only-” His voice caught for a moment, “I wish I could tell you to stay with me.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything then. I couldn’t tell him I felt the same. I didn’t want to stay here. I did love Jacob, in a way. I wanted something more, though. I always have. I just smiled at him, as fondly as I could manage.

Taking my hand away from his, I turned on the ignition. The jeep’s engine roared across the still beach.

“Let’s go home,” I said, “I’m starting to get hungry.”

\---

I woke up abruptly. The room was dim. The only sound was the faint chirping of bird Pokemon outside. I was covered in a mess of sheets, blankets, and at least one quilt. I slid myself upright and out of my cloth cocoon.

Unsure if something in particular had shattered my sleep, I glanced around the room. The muted light of early morning settled in through the large windows. Often in the morning I found myself admiring the view of Orchard Lake through them. This was the first summer I had the view from the third-floor master bedroom to myself. Or rather, almost to myself.

I turned my head around just to my left. Exactly as I had left him, Jacob slept beside me - prone, with half his face buried in pillows. I resisted the urge to run my fingers through his dark, curled hair. Instead I slid gingerly out of the rest of the covers and out of bed.

Nothing else in the room seemed out of place. Clothes (very nearly all mine) carpeted the floor. The door was closed - though in hindsight I’m not sure why I bothered with the courtesy, since no one else was living in the house. My handbag - and more importantly, the car key inside it - was on my desk, untouched. With that cursory sweep, I was put at ease. I supposed my body just wanted me awake.

I showered quickly and found a serviceable outfit of sweatclothes to wear off the floor. Down in the kitchen, I put a few thick strips of bacon on the stove to fry. I was whisking together batter when clumsy footsteps down the stairs heralded Jacob’s arrival. He wore only a pair of briefs and a wrinkled, unbuttoned dress shirt. I smiled a little, grateful that he had at least bothered to put clothes on.

“Something smells good down here.” He said as he stumbled over to the stove.

“Don’t eat that bacon,” I warned, “I’m going to make waffles with it.”

“Bacon waffles?” I heard his stomach rumble as if in agreement, “Fine by me.” He grabbed an oran berry from the counter and took a large bite. “I’m going to put on some coffee, did you want some?” He said through a mouthful of fruit.

I didn’t drink coffee often, but it seemed like a good morning for it. “Sure, I’ll take some.”

He and I worked in silence for a few minutes after that. Maybe we both just felt a little awkward after last night. That wouldn’t surprise anyone. I think I felt a little of that, but my mind was also occupied by my looming departure.

When the bacon was nearly crispy, I took it off the stove and crumbled the pieces into the batter. Jacob finished brewing coffee right about when I took the last of the waffles off of the iron.

“You want cream or sugar in your coffee?” Jacob asked.

I smiled at him, “How do you take yours?”

Jacob chuckled a little, “I take it with both.”

“That sounds fine, then.”

We were both hungry, and it showed. It took us almost no time at all to devour two of the massive waffles each. The only food left on our plates was a thin coating of maple syrup.

I cleaned up the table, setting the dishes and silverware in the sink to soak. I think I was moving just to avoid talking. I didn’t really want to talk about the night before, but it felt wrong to bring up anything else.

It was Jacob who spoke first, haltingly, “Annie, about last night…”

I barely stifled a laugh. The way he said it was like it was right from a movie. “What about it? Was something wrong?” My voice carried the dramatic lilt of mock-worry.

He waved his hand rapidly in a dismissive motion. “No, absolutely nothing.” He cracked a bit of a smile in response, “I really, really love you, Annie. It’s just…” His voice trailed off again.

Walking over to his side, I put my hand on his head. I ran my fingers through his hair like I had wanted to do this morning. “Hey, you can talk to me.”

“Okay,” Jacob took a deep breath, “Isn’t this whole situation awkward for you?”

I finished feeling his hair and wrapped my arms around his neck. “A little. But I’m happy with it.” I kissed the side of his face for emphasis. “I don’t have to introduce you to my parents, do I? Now that would be the awkward part.”

I got a laugh out of him then, “No, I’d prefer you didn’t.” He shifted a little. “I feel sort of odd about all this. I can’t help but worry that I’m taking advantage of you.”

“Hmm,” I rested my head on his for a moment, then I slid my arms off of him. I walked slowly around to the other side of the table and picked up my coffee mug. Jacob waited patiently for me to speak as I took a long sip.

“Our relationship makes me happy, you know,” I said finally, “And it isn’t like I didn’t have ulterior motives of my own.” I was happy to be with him. But I was using him, in my own way. I gave Jacob a sly smile, “But if you really feel guilty, you could do a favor for me. If that would help to clear your conscience, of course.”

“Oh?” He said, attempting to match my smile.

“Mmm,” I affirmed, and then, “I’m going to leave tomorrow. I need you to register me as a Trainer.”

It was Jacob’s turn to laugh at me. He attempted to compose himself, continuing, “Tomorrow, huh?” 

I thought he would be a little more fazed, but I explained further, “I want to get it all done today, actually. So I can leave in the morning.”

Jacob sighed, “This hardly counts as a favor, you know. I already agreed to help you earlier.”

“Can you do it?” I was serious.

“Yes,” He said reassuringly, “Yes, definitely. What do you need then? I got your Pokedex yesterday. You’ll need to be fully registered in the Pokemon League database as well. What else?” He was teasing me.

This was all a joke to him now. I huffed at him a bit. “And my starter.” I warned.

“Oh, how could I forget.” He said with a wink. Jacob’s tone was now brimming with sarcasm.

“I get it, I get it,” I said, conceding to him, “When can we leave for the lab?”

“As soon as I can get a pair of pants on,” Jacob said as he heaved himself up from his chair, “Technically I could go in without pants on, since no one else works there, but I feel like that would be unprofessional.” He said with a wink, “Get your keys, then. We’ve got work to do.”

\---

I turned off the jeep and looked over at the Tarn Village Pokemon Lab. It was somewhat small-looking. The only other Pokemon Lab I had ever seen was the one at Willow Academy, and that was much larger. In reality, Jacob’s lab wasn’t much smaller than most. It was a single story building with clean white walls. A lonely relay tower rose up beside it just above the surrounding trees.

“Here we are,” Jacob said as he hopped from the seat of the jeep onto the gravel lot in front of the lab, “It’s no Goldenrod Research Center, but how many Pokemon Professors my age can boast a lab of their own, right?”

I pocketed the keys. I was still wearing the sweatclothes I had put on this morning. It may have been summer, but mornings here in the mountains somehow always made me feel underdressed. I rubbed my hands together to take away some of the chill.

Jacob led me into the lab. The heavy steel door swung closed behind me with a muted thud and a click. The interior was just as stark white as it was on the outside. White tiles, walls, and cabinets. Stainless steel handles and locks adorned the rows and rows of drawers and cabinets. It all seemed suffocatingly sterile. I could see why kids cried when they were brought here; the lab looked like a morgue.

“How can you work here?” I asked.

Jacob shrugged. “I don’t spend that much time here. I’m out collecting specimens most days.” He walked over to a terminal near the back corner of the lab. Beckoning me over, Jacob produced the package he had picked up from the train station yesterday. He tore open one of the ends of the bag and emptied its contents onto the desk. One of the devices was a red rectangle with a Pokeball emblazoned on the front cover, the center of which was fitted with a camera. I recognized it as a Pokedex. The other was red and white and thicker than the Pokedex. It also had a screen on it, a handle on the side, and an antenna protruding from the top.

“What is that?” I asked.

“It’s called a Pokeradar,” Jacob said, “It’s used for tracking specific Pokemon. I’m hoping it will help with my research here around Orchard Lake.” He put the Pokeradar to the side and picked up the Pokedex. “Not too bad. A model H809i. I was nearly expecting them to send an old H808 just to spite me. They sure raised hell when I filed an equipment application for the ‘Radar. Looks like some of my friends down in Goldenrod actually pulled through for once.”

He flipped the Pokedex open, revealing two screens. “Here is the main interface,” He explained as he held it up towards me. There were four icons. One that looked like the Pokedex itself, another of a Pokeball, then an ID card, and the last was a gear. “You navigate by touching the bottom screen.” Jacob pressed his finger on the Pokedex icon. There was a harsh beep as he did. “It won’t let me access anything yet though, because it hasn’t been linked with a registered Trainer. We’ll take care of that right now.”

He placed the Pokedex in a slot on his terminal. The monitor swapped to a screen with a veritable mountain of blank fields. The bottom screen of the Pokedex changed to a blank rectangle. “When you’re ready, just put your thumb right there,” Jacob motioned to the Pokedex screen.

I took a careful step forward. I knew what this meant. Once I was registered as a Trainer, I would be removed from my school’s enrollment listings and become entirely unemployable. Before I could return to school, I would need to take on the Pokemon League Challenge. Eight League Gyms - eight badges - would stand between me and the rest of my life. If I even decided to go back. If I became a Champion...

The thought strengthened my resolve. I pressed my thumb flat against the Pokedex screen. The device beeped affirmatively. The computer screen filled with every piece of information about me the government had access to. Which, based on the sheer amount of text on the monitor, seemed very comprehensive. A moment later, all of that text was replaced by a simple message:

‘Prof. Jacob Hawthorne \\\ register Anwen Tamarack Y/N?’

Jacob waited a moment, “Well?”

I nodded, and he swiftly tapped a key and the message disappeared. There was another electronic beep and the screen was replaced by an image of the wall behind the terminal. “Go and stand against the wall there. Line yourself up opposite of the little red light.”

I followed Jacob’s instructions. Sure enough, right on the other side of the terminal from him was a small camera lens with a point of red light above it.

Jacob tapped a few more keys. “Alright, gimme a cute smile whenever you’re ready.” He made a goofy grin as if egging me on.

I was going to be a Trainer. The thought of that alone curled my mouth into a slight smile and narrowed my eyes. Yes, that was how Anwen the Trainer would smile.

There was a click and Jacob spoke again, “Well, not what I’d call ‘cute’, but I’d sooner kiss a Weedle than challenge a Trainer who looked that hardcore.”

I walked back around to the other side of the terminal with Jacob. He plucked the Pokedex from its slot and handed it to me. “Touch the Trainer Card icon to see it.”

I did. The bottom screen displayed basic information about me: Date of birth, blood type, and whatever else. You know, important stuff. I remember wondering how it knew my height and weight, though. The Pokedex’s top screen was dominated by my photo that had just been taken. It was exactly as I imagined it. I looked confident, boastful even. Perfect. Alongside my photo was my name and a simple string of characters: 

‘ID: C4P71V8’

“That’s your Trainer ID. The League database will use that number to track you when you do pretty much anything. Catching a Pokemon, earning a gym badge, or even visiting a Pokemon Center. They’ll have a record of it all.”

I pressed the “back” arrow on the Pokedex screen. I was returned to the first screen with four icons. I pressed on the Pokeball icon this time, and I was presented with a screen of six blank squares.

“This is where my Pokemon team would be displayed, right?” I said.

“Yeah, those blank spots would normally show which Pokemon are in your party,” Jacob said, walking over to the back of the lab, “But because you don’t have any right now, it’s blank.”

I looked hard at the Pokedex screen, imagining what it would look like months - or even years - from now. What Pokemon would I capture? Which would I choose to train? I heard the sound of a drawer opening and turned to see Jacob taking out a leather briefcase.

He looked back at me over his shoulder. Smiling, he asked, “Well, would you like to see your first Pokemon?”

For the first time that day, I was unsure. I should have dropped my Pokedex and run over to him screaming, “Yes! Yes!” But I didn’t. I was tense and apprehensive just thinking about what would soon be my Pokemon. My first Pokemon. What if it hated me? What if I hated it? I hesitated for one second. Then two. I closed my Pokedex and walked over to Jacob, one measured step at a time.

The clasps on the briefcase opened with a soft click. Jacob opened it to reveal a single Pokeball. The ball was red on top and white on the bottom - the original, most basic type. It was small, like a walnut or a ping pong. I reached out towards it, then paused to glance at Jacob.

“Go on.” He urged.

I picked up the small device. I had seen PokeBalls before. I even knew how they worked. But I had never actually held one. The metal ball was cold in my palm. It was appropriate. That kind of responsibility - power, even - shouldn’t be warm and comforting. I pressed the small button on the center of the Pokeball to activate it. It expanded to the size of a softball in my hand. I held it at arm’s length and looked at it. My hesitation melted from me as I did. Whatever this Pokemon was, whatever lay ahead of me, I wanted to see.

I let the PokeBall drop from my outstretched palm. It popped open when it hit the floor. There was a bright white light and a sound like a muted pop with a rush of air. The white light shot out of the open ball and arced to the floor. The ball bounced back up toward me, and I reflexively caught it.

The light began to take a solid, stable form before suddenly disappearing, leaving a red colored, vulpine Pokemon in its absence. The Pokemon looked around a moment and sniffed the air, as if trying to get its bearings. I knelt down next to it and held out my hand. It noticed my hand, its eyes then following my arm up to my face. I swear to this day I could see its eyes light up in recognition. It made a slight cry almost like a chirp and hobbled over to me, still unsteady on its feet. It pressed its head softly against my open hand, as if prompting me to pet it. For a second, my breath was taken away.

“It’s called a Vulpix.” Jacob said, “I put in a special request for it with your Pokedex. It got transferred over just last week.” He knelt down next to me, as I rubbed the Vulpix’s head. “I thought you’d like her.”

Her. “She’s beautiful.” I said.

“She’s just a newborn,” Jacob said, pointing towards her curled white tail, “When she gets a little older, her tail will darken to the color of her coat. Later, it will start to split into more tails until she has nine.”

Setting down her Pokeball, I picked up the Vulpix and held it. She made another chirp as I did. I was struck with the knowledge that she was only an infant. In a fit of sympathy, I brought her close to my chest. She was intensely warm, as if her body smoldered inside with hot coals. I wasn’t bothered by it. Rather, the warmth was comforting. She felt so alive in my arms. I wanted to bury my face in her fur.

“What do I call her?” I asked.

“Some trainers just call their Pokemon by their species name. It’s simple, and has a classic feel to it. Of course, you could give her a nickname,” He suggested, “Try a few out.”

I thought about it for a while before coming up with an idea. “How about Kitling?” I asked her. It was a combination of “kit” and “kindling”. The Vulpix turned her head away in rejection of the pun. Apparently that name was out of the question. I really did want to give her a name, though.

“Maybe something more elegant?” I questioned. I held her up to look in her eyes. “Pyre.” I said simply. Her long ears twitched as I said it, and she tilted her head to one side. “You like it?” The Vulpix chirped once more in answer. “Well, you respond to it at least.” I said.

I turned her over and held her against me again. I rubbed her cream-colored belly, and she stretched her forelegs outward in pleasure.

“Thank you so much, Jacob.” I said, finally tearing my eyes back away from Pyre.

He wore the widest smile I had ever seen him with. “Don’t mention it,” He said, “Really. Normally giving Trainers their first Pokemon is my job, and you’re my-” He stopped himself and cleared his throat awkwardly, “Um, well, you’re a good friend. It wasn’t even out of my way.”

Jacob leaned down and picked up Pyre’s Pokeball. “Can I see your Pokedex quick?” He asked.

“Sure.” I reached into my pocket with one hand and fished it out. I handed it to him.

Jacob flipped open the Pokedex and tapped on it a few times. Then he held the Pokeball up to the camera lens on it. The Pokedex beeped.

“What was that?” I asked.

Jacob made a dismissive motion with his hand, “Just linking Pyre to your ID. She should appear on your Pokedex’s party listing now.” I must have looked confused, because he continued, “ It’s not something you’ll normally have to do, since catching a Pokemon will automatically link it to your ID.”

“Good to know.”

Jacob handed the Pokedex back to me. “If you set her down, you could try using the Pokedex on her.”

I didn’t see why not. I placed Pyre on the ground. Her legs seemed to wobble a bit after I let go of her. I opened the Pokedex again and selected the Pokedex icon. I was brought to what looked like a search screen. It had a lot of criteria, like “location”, “type”, or even “weight”.

“Just point the back of the ‘Dex at her,” Jacob instructed, “The camera will pick her up.”

I held the device up to her. The search screen disappeared, the message ‘SCANNING’ took up the screen. A ring of gradiented dots rotated around the word. After a moment a picture of a Vulpix appeared on the upper screen. The bottom screen was filled with information like height, weight, and footprint. The device began to speak in a jarring, automated voice:

“Vulpix, the fox Pokemon. It has the power to manipulate fire to a fine degree, often creating fiery orbs that resemble will-o’-the-wisps. It releases flames from its mouth to regulate its body temperature.”

“You can scan any Pokemon to get information on it like that,” Jacob said, “It’s not limited to only Pokemon that you’ve captured either, like some of the older models. It has information on any of the known species of Pokemon, of which there are over seven hundred.”

“I bet you say that to all the Trainers.” I winked at him.

He laughed. “More or less, now that you mention it.” He tossed me Pyre’s Pokeball. I caught it in both hands. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” He asked.

“I think I’ll go home and get a bag packed so I can leave tomorrow morning. Maybe I’ll let Pyre run around a bit.”

Jacob nodded. “That’s a good idea,” He said, “Get her used to being around you.”

I matched his nod. Then I turned to Pyre. She was sitting on the floor, licking her brown paws. “Alright girl, we’re leaving.” She looked up at me as she heard my voice carry over. Her tongue flicked across her snout. I pointed the Pokeball at her. A thin red light shot out of the center and covered her. When I could no longer see the form of my Vulpix through the red light around her, the light was drawn back into the ball.

When I turned back to Jacob, he handed me a small cardboard box. It had a detailed image of a Pokeball on the front. “There are six Pokeballs in there,” He explained, “I don’t think there are any shops that carry Trainer goods around here, at least until you get down the mountains.”

I stared at the box. Jacob had put so much thought and effort into sending me off. I felt a stab of guilt. “Jacob, you’ve been so kind to me,” I said, “I really am grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”

“Well,” He said, “If you really feel that way, try calling me or sending me a message sometime. You’re able to do either of those through the League terminals in any Pokemon Center. I’d like to hear how your journey is coming along.”

I leaned in and hugged him underneath his arms. “I definitely, definitely will.” I said, my voice close to a whisper.

He folded his arms around me carefully, only barely touching me. “Goodbye,” He whispered back, “And good luck.”

In that white room, that sterile laboratory, there was a quietness. For only the briefest moment, one would have been able to hear a heart break. And my heart did break, if only a little.

I never quite knew what to feel around Jacob. I could always hide my feelings for him behind my intentions. I was using him to become a Trainer, I would tell myself. But when that was taken away from me, what did I feel? Maybe I really did love him, even if it was just in that single instant. 

So I made the only choice I could: I let go of Jacob and walked away.

\---

That evening I sat on the floor of the master bedroom watching Pyre play with my dirty clothes. She was full of energy and seemed very invested in scattering my wardrobe even further across the floor. I even had to scold her a few times when she began to bite at some of my fluffier clothes as if they were prey. I had already packed away the few clothes I planned on taking with me tomorrow, so she wasn’t getting into anything important, but that wasn’t why I was scolding her. I needed Pyre to get used to listening to me and following my orders. If I was going to fight with her - if I was going to challenge gyms and earn badges - then she had to understand me. And, although she didn’t seem to be making a lot of progress, she was at least beginning to recognize her name.

After she had been playing for the better part of an hour, Pyre made her way over to my side and began pawing at my leg. She whimpered softly at me. It occurred to me that I hadn’t fed her yet. Then I started to wonder just when the last time she had eaten was. Jacob had said she was sent to him around a week ago, yet she hadn’t reacted to him at all back in the lab, so I doubted that he had her out of her ball at all during that time. I supposed that being in their ball must put Pokemon in a kind of stasis. I made a mental note about that before picking up Pyre and making my way downstairs to the kitchen.

I rummaged around in the refrigerator for something that Pyre might be able to eat. Everything in there was going to spoil anyhow before the house was cleaned out for winter. After a bit of scavenging, I was rewarded with some leftover Pidove from a few nights ago and half a plastic box of lum berries.

I sat down at the kitchen table with Pyre in one arm. She tore at the meat with ravenous speed. I laughed as she nearly yanked the Pidove leg out of my hand. In a few short minutes she had finished off all but the barest scraps of meat, and she would have eaten those too if I had let her have at the carcass. Instead I offered her one of the berries. She was much more hesitant than she had been with the meat, but after some insistence on my part she warily took it from my hand. She must have liked it a bit, because she pawed at my lap and chirped loudly when I didn’t immediately offer her more.

After she had eaten her fill of berries, I decided to take Pyre outside for a bit. I sat on the doorstep and watched her dart around the bushes on the lawn. I wondered when she would run out of energy. It seemed pretty boundless from where I was watching.

A few more minutes went by and Pyre had done her business. When I called her back to go inside, she strolled up to the door with something in her mouth. I got down on my knees and saw she had caught a Caterpie in her jaws. It was small, no longer than my index finger, and very much dead.

I sighed at her. “Pyre, you had better not do that if we ever fight a bug trainer.” I said.

Pyre just tilted her head back, chewed the bug a little, and swallowed.

Back inside, I wanted to double-check and make sure I wasn’t missing anything in my pack before I fell asleep. I had my belongings all packed in a plain, brown canvas backpack. It was rather spartan, with only a few spare pockets for easy-to-reach items. It seemed to me like the sort of bag an adventurer would have.

Inside were a few essentials: A sleeping mat and a wool camping blanket, a plastic water bottle, a hunting knife, a lighter, and a flashlight with extra batteries. The only extra clothes I had brought were a single change of clothes and a jacket. I packed a cooking pot and the food I bought at the farmers’ market yesterday as well. I had shuca nuts, dried figy and pecha berries, Tauros jerky, tea leaves, and - for a special treat - a jar of Combee honey. For the most part, it wasn’t more than a few day’s worth of rations, but it would be enough to make it to somewhere I could restock at least.

Besides all that, I only brought my Pokedex, the six Pokeballs Jacob had given me, and five hundred dollars in cash. Pyre’s ball was on my person at all times.

Mentally checking my supplies off, I decided I was ready to leave tomorrow morning.

I climbed into bed, doing my best to savor the experience. I figured it would be a while before I slept in a real bed again. Pyre was curled up beside my chest. I felt the comforting warmth that radiated from her. If she was with me every night, I thought, maybe sleeping without a bed wouldn’t be so bad.

With dreams of badges and Pokeballs of all colors, I slowly drifted to sleep.

\---

I woke just before the sun started to come up. I showered quickly, put on the clothes I had left out the night before, and ate a light breakfast. I took a few heavier, more perishable foods to eat whenever I stopped for lunch - some cheese, plus whatever fresh fruit I had left around the kitchen. I put them in one of the outer pockets of my pack.

I left the keys to the house and the jeep, locked the door, and walked out of the house. Pyre was at my heels. The moment I shut the front door, I knew I couldn’t turn back. Then again, I didn’t want to. The feeling of complete freedom was oddly comforting.

I walked along the path out from my house’s perch in the upper reaches of Tarn Village, skirting the town proper. I didn’t really want to risk running into anyone who might recognize me, although somehow I doubt anyone would recognize me in the misty haze of early morning which drifted off the lake. The road was simple gravel, not much to speak of. Civilization hadn’t crawled this far up the mountains; rather, it settled like a flood on the plains below. Many of the houses, too, were simple, squat log cabins, a holdover of when this region was still considered a frontier.

I was well away from the village by the time the sun was bright in the sky. I could see the earth fall out from under me as I looked out over the horizon. The sun behind me cast its glow over the entirety of the plains that stretched out below me. I could see the endless farm fields that blanketed the countryside bathed in the hopeful sunlight of a glorious morning. I stopped myself before the road began its long descent. Pyre checked her stride when she noticed and looked up at me, as if expecting me to do something. I couldn’t help but smile at her, she was so small and full of potential. I picked her up and held her in my arms. Once again, her warmth comforted me.

The path ahead of me was now bathed in sunlight.


	2. Morgan

CHAPTER II. 

I had stopped for lunch, and I was only barely making my way down the knotted mess of switchbacks leading down the mountain. Pyre was chewing awkwardly on a wepear berry, unable to get her jaws completely around the plump fruit. I sat on a weathered old stump, finishing off the cheese I had packed earlier. I cut the last of the wedge in half with my knife and tossed one of the halves in my mouth thoughtlessly. My chewing was mechanical. My mind was wandering elsewhere, into my wishful daydreams.

I took out my Pokedex from my pocket and flipped it open. I brought up Pyre’s page and looked at some of the more detailed information the device had on Vulpix. Besides her basic information displayed on the first screen, it had a lot of data on specific Moves she could learn. For those of you who aren’t Trainers, Moves are special techniques a Pokemon sort of unlocks as they gain experience - powers beyond that of their raw physical abilities. They can develop these powers in other ways, as well. For instance, it is very common for a Pokemon to suddenly use a previously-unknown move in response to a stressful situation. You can also teach Pokemon moves with the use of Technical Machines - TMs, for short - which interface with a Pokeball. I guess it’s processed as some sort of data while the Pokemon is in its ball or something? Honestly, all these years down the road, I’ve used them dozens of times and I still have no clue how they actually work.

I glanced through Pyre’s move list absentmindedly. There were a few moves that I liked the sound of for their raw power. I licked my lips greedily when I saw that Vulpix learned a move called “Fire Blast”. I imagined her bathing a battlefield in flame with a violent explosion. Pyre looked up at me, tilting her head as if to ask what I was thinking. 

“You gonna breathe fire for me?” I asked her. Pyre chirped happily and went back to gorging herself on the berry. I sighed lightly. I knew I was going to have to train her to fight, but I didn’t know how I would go about it. Maybe she would figure it out on her own, like when she ate that Caterpie last night. What if she didn’t, though?

I shook my head as if that would dispel my uncertainty. Only one way to know for sure if Pyre was up to it, and that was to practice. I resolved to look for a few wild Pokemon this afternoon to see if I could get Pyre into a battle.

For now, though, I was happy she was still busy eating. I would never admit it at the time, but I was in terrible shape. My legs and shoulders ached from walking most of the morning and carrying my backpack. I hadn’t been very active when I was younger - I didn’t play any sports at school, and I rarely exercised. Honestly, it was one part of the journey to becoming a Trainer that I had seriously underestimated, and it was already becoming obvious.

I ate the last of the cheese, attempting to rub the soreness out of my shoulders at the same time. I arched my back to stretch a bit more and took a deep breath of mountain air. It was still pretty thin and dry, and smelled strongly of pine. I loathed the thought of continuing, but at this rate we wouldn’t even make it down the mountain before nightfall.

I gathered up the trash and tucked it into my backpack as I finished eating. By the time I was done Pyre had stripped the berry down to its core, and was now gnawing on that. I shrugged on my backpack, gingerly adjusting it as it settled on my raw shoulders. I whistled lightly in Pyre’s direction. Her ears twitched and she turned to look at me. Motioning with my hand, I started to walk down the gravel road. Pyre quickly abandoned the berry carcass and ran after me, settling into stride at my heels.

\---

We reached the base of the mountain just as the sun was beginning to set. I was utterly exhausted. The air had become more humid and sweltering as we had descended. Between the weather and the exercise, I had become drenched in sweat. I think even Pyre was breathing a little hard, her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth as she panted. I was desperate to find someplace to camp for the night.

There were some sparse woods near the mountain, probably half a kilometer from the road. It seemed like a good place to set up camp - away from any traffic, with a little cover. We continued on in that direction.

We made even slower progress than I expected. There were a couple ditches near the road that we had to cross. They came up to my chest, and I had to help Pyre up the other side both times. Not only that, but the ground was rough, as if it had been churned up. At one point I stepped in a hole that swallowed my leg up to the knee. By the time we reached the woods I was covered in dirt and mud. I stumbled a little ways in and shrugged off my pack, letting it fall to the ground where it was. Gasping for air, I slouched against a tree. After a few minutes to catch my breath, I noticed Pyre licking my hand gently. I picked her up into my lap, and immediately noticed that she was even warmer than normal. I panicked for a moment, afraid that she might be ill. As I watched her heavy breathing with worry, it struck me that, as a fire-type Pokemon, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing if she was warmer. Could it be healthier for her, even? Even so, we had both been walking all day in the summer heat, and I was burning up. Of course she would be, too.

“We’re both gonna have to shape up, huh?” I asked through ragged gasps. She only barely inclined her head toward me as her tongue flicked about her lips.

I shifted my pack toward me to get inside it. It was dark now, and in my current condition all I wanted to do was fall asleep. I knew I had to eat something, though, to make it through another day of this. And another. I shuddered and decided not to follow that thought any further. I rustled around in my pack for a moment to get out my trail mix and jerky.

I ate slowly, feeding Pyre some of my food as I did. After what felt like a long time slouched against that tree in the humid dusk, I decided to bed down for the night. I laid out my sleeping mat and blanket on the rough ground, snuggled Pyre tight against my chest, and promptly fell asleep.

\---

I woke suddenly, on my stomach with my sleeping mat on top of me and a sharp pain in my back. I flailed in the dirt, attempting to scramble out of my blanket which had become tangled around me. Had we been attacked? I reached out, trying to feel for Pyre in the darkness. She wasn’t there. I heard the sounds of shuffling dirt and a kind of squeak that I didn’t recognize. I finally dragged myself out of the tangled remains of my bed and pushed myself away from the sound.

Then I heard Pyre. She was growling. I hadn’t heard her growl before, but the thin, high-pitched voice was definitely hers. Relief washed over me like a frigid wave. We were both okay. For now, at least. I was still hearing those other noises.

I dove for my backpack to find my flashlight. It only took me a few seconds to get a hold of it, but just as I did something hit me hard in the stomach. I was thrown sideways from the force, and in a moment I was lying on my back. I tried to gasp for air, but the wind had been knocked out of me, hard. All I could do was wheeze pitifully.

What the hell? Was this it? I was suddenly terrified that I was going to die here, killed in the dark by some wild Pokemon I couldn’t even see. Was this what I gave up my life for? Fuck, did I even consider the risks? I couldn’t even claim ignorance. I knew this was dangerous, and I treated it like a fucking afternoon stroll. Now I was sprawled out in the dirt, unable to even breathe.

Then I heard Pyre again. This time her growl came from right in front of me as she stood facing our attacker. My heart rose in my chest. If she could be brave, then so could I. I managed a few shallow wheezes, and realized I had managed to hold on to my flashlight. I fumbled with it for a moment before I found the button. I switched it on, and caught a glimpse of something round before it disappeared - underground?

Instantly I connected the dots: The churned-up ground, the holes, and getting attacked from below. We must have been right on top of a Diglett colony! I almost laughed with relief. 

There was a cave near my old school that was famous for its Diglett population, so I knew a little bit about them. There were tours of the caves, but I’d never gone on one. I had, however, sneaked into them with a few other students to smoke and, uh, goof off. We ran into a few Diglett while we were there, and as far as I could tell they weren’t really dangerous. We were able to scare them off with just light and loud noises. Remembering this, I had an idea.

I felt the ground shift beneath me and rolled away. A small, brown Pokemon with a large nose and beady eyes popped out of the ground where I had just been. I pointed the flashlight directly at it. It made a high-pitched squeak and closed its eyes.

“Pyre, get it!” I yelled.

She didn’t waste a moment, pouncing on the wild Pokemon. She dug her small claws into it and tried to gnaw on its head, which was far too large for her to get her jaws around. The Diglett panicked, tore itself from Pyre’s claws and disappeared back into its hole. Pyre was left sprawled on the ground, wondering where her prey had gone.

I took the opportunity to finally stand up and catch my breath. I finally noticed how sore I was. Between my aching muscles and the beating I had just taken from a Diglett - a realization that would make me groan with embarrassment later - it hurt just to stay on my feet.

I felt the ground shift again and staggered away, bracing myself against a nearby tree. When the Diglett appeared, I once again blinded it with the light.

“Pyre, again!”

She followed the beam of light and ran into it with a full-body tackle, attempting to dig all four of her claws in this time. The Diglett shook itself around wildly, and managed to dislodge her after some of the longest seconds of my life. Pyre flew off but landed on her feet, only to find that her prey had again gone underground.

The two of us waited, poised to strike. One minute. Two minutes. Five. I had caught my breath and was really starting to appreciate how absolutely shitty I felt.

Pyre and I started to relax a little, realizing we must have scared it off. I rushed over to Pyre to pick her up in a big hug. “You were so great!” I buried my face in her warm fur. Her eyes were still fixed on the last hole. “Are you hurt?” I flipped her over to get a look at her underside. She tried to crane her neck to continue watching the hole, but then seemed to notice my face and chirped lightly. I ran my hands over her stomach but didn’t feel any wetness. If she had broken something I couldn't tell, since she had been standing fine just a moment ago and wasn’t recoiling at my proddings. I gasped a little when I found blood on her paws, before realizing with a strange pleasure that it wasn’t hers. 

With my mind a little more at ease, I took stock of the aftermath. My gear was a mess. I had thrown my pack a bit when I got hit the second time, and its contents were scattered about the clearing. It was still dark. I didn’t know what time it was, but I knew I sure as hell wasn’t gonna be able to fall back asleep, so I heaved a ragged sigh and began to pack up my things.

We made our way back to the road as quickly as we could. I fed Pyre and miraculously managed to stomach more trail mix myself before we began another long day of walking.

\---

We walked for two more days along that dusty road before we reached Park Mills. Pyre was inside her Pokeball, since she had gotten tired earlier in the day. We had stopped for lunch, and when we finished I tried to call her after me. She had just chirped and continued snoozing in the grass. That was okay, she deserved a rest. I continued my march down main street.

The Pokemon Center was near the train station. It was easy to spot with its red-and-white color scheme, and honestly looked really out of place among the rest of the rustic buildings along main street. The automatic glass doors opened as I got close. The interior was warmly decorated and felt kind of cozy. I guess I was surprised by that. I expected it to be harsh and sterile like Jacob’s lab, but the common area had a large lounge with chairs, couches, and small tables. There were even some vending machines in the corner. I only saw two other people inside. There was a nurse at the reception desk. He was wearing pink scrubs and was talking to a girl who was leaning far forward on the counter. At the sound of the door opening they both turned to look at me. The girl had shoulder-length black hair brushed over to one side. She was dressed in all black, from her jeans and combat boots to her cropped t-shirt. She looked about my age, maybe a little older? A look of dark worry crossed her face as soon as she saw me.

She began to walk hurriedly over to me. “Oh shit, are you okay?” She asked.

Damn. I must have looked as bad as I felt. “Yeah,” I said somewhat breathlessly as I shrugged my pack off my abused shoulders, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’re a new Trainer, yeah?” The girl asked as she took my face in her hands and started inspecting it. I didn’t know what she was looking for, but this close I noticed now that she was, um, kinda tall. Yeah, tall. She had a round face with soft features, wide green eyes, and a small upturned nose. Oh. She was cute. I was suddenly glad my face was covered in dirt, so no one could tell how furiously I was blushing.

“Uh, yeah,” I tried to avoid eye contact, which was becoming increasingly difficult, “How…?”

“You just have the look.” She let go of my face, seemingly satisfied with her inspection. She offered her hand to me, “I’m Morgan. I’m a Trainer too.”

I shook her hand, a little hesitantly, “Anwen.”

She didn’t let go of my hand. She was a very touchy person, I guessed. “Anwen,” She repeated, “You look like you’re barely standing, let’s get you sitting down.” She led me over to a sofa and sat down next to me. She must have noticed that I was timidly trying to extricate myself from her grip, because she finally let go of my hand.

“Miss?” The nurse called over to us.

“Sorry, sorry, be right there,” Morgan called back, “I’ll just be a sec, okay?” She said to me before bouncing over to the reception desk. I watched her as she exchanged some clipped words with the nurse. She seemed nice, if a little overenthusiastic. Forceful, even. I wondered if there were a lot of Trainers like that. Morgan cast a look over her shoulder and caught me staring. She gave a wide, goofy smile before turning back to the nurse as he asked her another question. After a minute, she seemed to be done. She hefted up her pack, which was a garish seafoam green, faded from what must have been years of use. It didn’t seem to suit her at all. As she made her way back over to me, I saw she was cradling an armful of Pokeballs with some difficulty. She plopped herself down beside me heavily and stuffed the balls into her pack. “Sorry about that, I was just picking my Pokemon back up.”

“Those were all yours?” I asked.

“The six I’m using now, yeah,” She leaned back into the red leather sofa, “I have a few more, but I’m not really training them right now.” She looked almost rueful in admitting it. I felt inside my pocket, brushing my fingers against my one Pokeball. Morgan’s eyes widened, “Wait, shit, are your Pokemon okay?”

“Uh?” I stammered, “Oh yeah, she’s fine. Just tired from walking, so I’m letting her rest.”

Morgan heaved a sigh of relief, “Okay, that’s good. Speaking of, are you staying someplace?”

“No, not really,” I groaned, realizing that I had even more to do today, “I just kinda got into town.”

“Hey me too,” Morgan smiled, “Let’s split a room at the hotel. You could definitely use a bath.” I shot her a scowl. She held up her hands, giggling, “Chill, my intentions are pure, okay?” I stammered and felt my face flushing again. “I don’t know how much cash you have on you, but I know I don’t wanna shell out for a room all by myself.”

“A room would be nice, actually,” I admitted, “And, yeah, a shower or something.”

“Cool,” She said, heaving herself out of the seat. She smiled and offered me her hand.

\---

The hotel was just across the street, since it was also next to the train station. We split the fifty dollar cost and were given two keys to our room. Morgan insisted that I use the bathroom first. Before I did, I let Pyre out of her ball, and she let out a wide yawn and hopped up on one of the beds. Morgan began fawning over her immediately.

I’ll admit, the shower felt amazing. Days’ worth of mud and dust melted off of me, and the heat began to relax my aching muscles some. I considered Morgan for a while, while I enjoyed the steaming water. She seemed genuine enough. I could have been suspicious of her, I guess, but that would have taken more energy than I had left in me. And hell, I really needed a friend right now.

I changed into my spare clothes while Morgan took her turn. It was a bit of a nicer outfit than what I had been wearing: Over-the-knee socks, denim shorts, and a wide-necked t-shirt with a thin-strap tank top over it. They definitely weren’t clothes to travel in, but they were clean, and was desperate for that. I was still appraising myself in the mirror when Morgan came out of the bathroom. I kept my back turned to her, partially out of courtesy, and also to hide my reddening face.

She spoke as she finished dressing, “What do you think about heading down to the park? It shouldn’t be dark for a while, and we could get some practice in. There might even be a few other Trainers around.”

“You think that’s a good idea?” I asked, scratching Pyre’s back. She purred affectionately. I didn’t know if she would be up for running around any more today.

Morgan whirled on me and frowned, “Of course! You need to keep up her training if you’re going to earn badges. Do you even have your first one yet?”

Her admonishment stung, not in the least because I didn’t expect it from her. I hung my head a little, “No, not yet.”

“Okay, then I’m not taking no for an answer.” Her voice softened a bit as she continued, “And don’t worry, I’ll be looking after you.”

I nodded dumbly, then I had a thought, “Wait, how many badges do you have?”

Morgan flashed a wicked grin, “I have four now!” She whirled around and began to dig through her bag. She produced a square of red cloth, unfolding it to reveal four silvery badges, “They’re from Sinnoh. Well, except for this one,” She indicated what must have been the most recent one, a simple, burnished square, “That’s the Plains Badge from Goldenrod City.”

“Are you from Sinnoh?” I inquired further.

“Uh-huh!” She puffed her chest out proudly, “I got a few badges there, but I really wanted to travel.” She twirled back around, and I nodded as she folded her badge cloth back up and stowed it away. She started to dig around in her pack for something else, “Damn, where did I put it?”

As Morgan continued her rummaging, I put on my shoes and returned Pyre to her ball. Just as I was finishing pulling my hair into a ponytail, Morgan exclaimed, “Got it!” She held up a thick, black belt with metal studs. Her expression became rueful, “I really need to organize my bag again.”

“What is that?” I asked, looking at the belt.

Morgan gave a deep, exaggerated laugh like she was a cartoon villain, “This,” She held it up for me to inspect, “Is a special belt that holds Pokeballs. Pretty cool huh?” Sure enough, what I had assumed were metal studs were actually settings that were the perfect size for deactivated Pokeballs. Morgan continued her low chuckle as she slotted her balls into the belt, then clasped it around her waist. She struck a dramatic, wide-stanced pose with one finger in the air, “Okay!” She lowered her arm to point at me, “Anwen! It is time to begin your training!”

\---

We made our way to the town park. It was close, right next to the river, which I was grateful for. A pair of old, crumbling river mills were the centerpiece of the park - I wondered if that was how Park Mills got its name, or if it was just coincidence. There was a soccer field at one end, but the rest was pretty open, with sparse trees and a winding path. We noticed a couple Trainers with half a dozen Pokemon. They didn’t look like they were battling at the moment. They both sat on a bench watching their Pokemon run around. I recognized a Squirtle and an Eevee, but none of the others.

“Don’t worry about them right now, okay?” Morgan put a hand on my shoulder. It was still very raw, and I winced just a little. I hoped she didn’t notice. “We’ll go talk to them in a bit, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“Okay.” I nodded. I activated Pyre’s ball and tossed it onto the grass. Pyre shook herself off and chirped loudly. I caught the ball as it bounced back up to me.

Morgan was muttering to herself as she fidgeted with her belt, “Which one was…? Ah, there.” She had collected three Pokeballs. All her balls were the normal red-and-white type, but they all had smudged-looking black markings on them. Had she labelled her balls with marker to tell them apart? She activated and threw out all three. When the white light faded, three more small Pokemon were arrayed out before us. One looked like a pair of red berries, and the second seemed like it was just a ball of cotton with two large eyes. The third was a very small, white figure holding onto a yellow flower with thin arms. This last pokemon floated up to Morgan’s shoulder and cooed into her ear. She returned this with an affectionate nuzzle.

Pyre was already inspecting the other two Pokemon - which were about the same size as her - sniffing the berry Pokemon tentatively as it bounced around. I really hoped Pyre wouldn’t try to eat one of Morgan’s Pokemon.

“Okay!” Morgan exclaimed, “Let’s see what your Vulpix can do, Anwen! Taffeta, get ready!” The cotton-ball Pokemon seemed to stiffen at her command, and it narrowed its eyes at Pyre.

Taffeta? I remembered my Pokedex and slipped it out of my pocket, pointing the camera at the Pokemon. After scanning a moment, the Pokedex beeped and displayed a pixelated version of the ball of cotton. The digital voice started to explain, “Cottonee, the Cotton Puff Pokemon,” - Wow, big surprise there - “They go wherever the wind takes them. On rainy days, their bodies are heavier, so they take shelter beneath big trees.”

Morgan nodded sagely beside me, “Good. Use your Pokedex as much as possible.” She suddenly sounded like a hardened warrior. I didn’t know if that was her just hamming it up, but she sounded at least a little serious, “The more Pokemon you know about, the less surprised you’re likely to be in battle.”

I snapped the Pokedex shut and walked around to face her and the Cottonee. Pyre seemed to pick up on something as I tried to psych myself up. She jumped in front of me, taking a wide, defensive stance.

Morgan positively swooned, “Oh fuck that is so adorable! Did you teach her that already?”

I was thrown a bit by her sudden change in demeanor. She had gone from stone-faced and serious to bubbly and girlish in the span of seconds. I stammered for a moment before managing to speak, “N-no. At least, I don’t think so.”

“She has good instincts, then,” Morgan remarked, then flung her hand forward dramatically, “Okay Taffeta, use Cotton Guard!” At her command, the Cottonee closed its eyes in concentration. After a moment, its cotton body began to puff out to almost twice its size. She was using a Move already? I wondered if this was how experienced Trainers fought.

“Pyre, go!” Like a coiled spring, Pyre pounced forward. Just like when she fought the Diglett, she sunk her claws into it and tried to bite. Unlike before, her claws dug into the cotton coat harmlessly. She sputtered and spat as she bit, ending up with a mouthful of fuzz. She tried to extricate herself, but her claws were caught in the mess of cotton. “C’mon, you can do it!” Pyre growled and pulled, but she couldn’t get away.

Morgan regarded the struggle for a moment, “You two work well together,” She mused, “But you won’t be able to hurt Taffeta with physical attacks like that! Throw your weight into it, girl!” The Cottonee started to bounce slightly, then pushed itself forward. Unable to get away, Pyre was pushed onto her back as her opponent rolled on top of her. With only her head exposed, Pyre began to chirp in distress.

I covered my face in embarrassment. I knew Morgan was a more experienced Trainer, but I had wanted to impress her. To be so utterly trounced inside of a minute was humiliating. Not only had Morgan won, but she had done it without either of our Pokemon getting hurt. She really was the real deal. I was about to raise my hands in surrender when I had a thought. She was right. Thanks to its coat, her Cottonee was functionally immune to any attack Pyre could make, but there was one place the coat didn’t cover.

“Pyre, go for the eyes!”

“Taffeta, get away!” Morgan’s Pokemon tried to bounce away, but Pyre’s claws were still dug in, and this time it was working in our favor. Pyre was pulled back onto her feet. As the airborne Cottonee reached the apex of its bounce, Pyre pulled her back in, delivering a solid headbutt right between her opponent’s eyes. The Cottonee squeaked and fell back, stunned. Pyre took the opportunity to pull her claws free. She jumped back towards me and dropped into a defensive stance again.

Morgan started clapping, “Good job you two,” she said, beaming, “Taffeta, that’s enough. Go play with Fruitsnack.” Her Pokemon shook itself off and hummed happily, quickly bouncing away.

“Wait, that’s it?” I was confused.

Morgan shrugged, “Eh, you win. I had figured Pyre hadn’t learned any fire Moves yet, so I thought I could safely win just by tiring her out,” She narrowed her eyes and gave me a sly grin, “But it looks like there’s more to you two than you let on.”

I blushed a bit at the compliment, “Thanks, but I think I still have a lot to learn.”

“Oh, definitely,” She nodded, then turned her gaze past me, “And speaking of…” I looked over my shoulder. While we were battling, the two trainers had approached us. They were both boys. They looked younger, and awfully skinny. They had returned most of their Pokemon, only the Squirtle and Eevee were still outside their balls. Morgan gave a short wave, “Hey guys.”

\---

After introducing themselves, the boys asked if we wanted to battle. Morgan took them up on it, asking which of them had more badges. The older of the two boys had three badges. He wore a baggy hoodie and shorts, and had greasy black hair. His name was Alex. He and Morgan battled first.

Morgan won two out of three battles, and she made it look like nothing. It became obvious she had been going easy on me. Very easy. The first battle was Alex’s Eevee against Fruitsnack, Morgan’s Cherubi. Fruitsnack was able to dodge the Eevee’s tackles, harassing it with leaves shaken from its stem. The Move was called Razor Leaf, and it showed. By the time the Eevee collapsed it was covered in small cuts. Morgan sent Taffeta in next. Even though it had already battled earlier, it fought well against Alex’s Noctowl. When the Noctowl finally grabbed Taffeta and started shaking her around in the air, Morgan returned her and gave Alex battle number two. For the third battle Morgan chose Brownie, the small Pokemon who had, up until now, been hovering at her shoulder. It was a Floette, and it looked pitifully small next to Quilava, Alex’s third Pokemon. I was amazed when it took control of the battle immediately. It floated around the battlefield dodging the Quilava’s flames, and buffeting it around with gusts of wind. Alex had looked desperate and unwilling to give up. The battle went on for almost a quarter of an hour, and didn’t end until Morgan’s Floette had bound the exhausted Quilava to the ground with thick vines. Alex grumbled as he handed Morgan twenty dollars.

Next was my battle with Arthur, the younger of the two. He already had one badge, but Morgan seemed to think it was a fair enough fight. He had long, straw-colored hair that spilled out from under his ball cap and nearly reached his shoulders. We took up our places opposite each other. Morgan and Alex watched from the sidelines.

“Pyre, get ready!” She jumped in front of me excitedly and gave a small growl.

“That’s your only Pokemon, right?” Arthur called out.

“Er, yeah,” I tried to sound confident, but I’m sure it was painfully obvious how new to this I was.

“Okay,” He smiled, “Then this will just be one-on-one. Get in there, Squirtle!” The blue turtle Pokemon waddled in front of him and gurgled. Bubbles frothed at its mouth. It was cute, and somehow still menacing. 

I flipped open my Pokedex, “Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. The shell is soft when it is born. It soon becomes so resilient, prodding fingers will bounce off it.” I flipped it back shut and pocketed it. I saw Arthur doing the same.

“Ready?” He asked.

“Ready.”

“Alright Squirtle, tackle it!” His Pokemon shot forward with much more speed than I expected. It seemed Pyre didn’t expect it, either. Before I could shout a warning, the Squirtle had closed the distance. There was a loud thump as it hit her in the chest with its large head, and Pyre was sent tumbling backwards. She landed in the grass behind me. I ran over and kneeled next to her. Arthur shouted over to me, “Hey, if you pick her up I’m going to consider it a forfeit.”

I hesitated, and my hands hung in the air. Pyre was breathing hard and struggling to get back up. My eyes darted over to Morgan. She wore a grim expression and nodded as if to corroborate the rules. I almost picked Pyre up, anyway. There were more important things than winning, but I wouldn’t learn that lesson until much later. Too late. Instead I let my hands fall to my sides and whispered to her, “C’mon girl. You can do it.” Pyre slowly wobbled back up to her feet and took a few shaky steps forward. I stood up as well and got behind her.

“Good?” Arthur sounded a little impatient. It sort of pissed me off.

I nodded, “Pyre, your turn! Get in close!” She shook herself off and darted forward, just a little slower than normal. I thought if she could close the distance, then the Squirtle wouldn’t be able to build up momentum for another attack like that last one. The Squirtle didn’t even try to dodge her. She tried to dig her claws into it, but they just bounced off its shell. The Squirtle leaned in and pulled her into a full-body hug.

“Nice job,” Arthur called out, “Now toss it!” As he said it, the Squirtle rolled backward onto its shell and pushed Pyre off. She was sent several feet in the air as the Squirtle continued its backwards roll, ending up on its feet in a single motion that was more graceful than I would ever have expected from the stubby-legged turtle. Pyre landed on her side.

“You’ve got it, Pyre! Keep getting back up!” She started to get her feet under her.

Arthur didn’t plan on letting that happen. “Finish it off now, Water Gun!” A gurgling sound came from the Squirtle, and a moment later a torrent of water cascaded from its open mouth. It shot with all the power of a fire hydrant that had been cracked open, hitting Pyre hard. She was sent rolling across the grass again. When the attack finally let up, Pyre wasn’t moving.

I stood rooted to the spot, so shocked I couldn’t move. I should have known that a water-type Pokemon would know a water Move. Pyre was a fire-type. This was bad. My mouth had dried up. I tried to speak but I couldn’t croak out another word.

“Alright, that’s enough. It was a good match.” It was Morgan. She walked over to me and brushed my arm gently, “Hey, snap out of it,” She whispered, “Go make sure Pyre is okay.” I nodded, my mouth still hanging dumbly open, then rushed over to where Pyre was still lying on the ground. I put my hand on her side. She was cold, but she was breathing. I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in. I picked her up and cradled her against my chest, hoping to warm her up.

Arthur walked up to me and offered his hand, “Your friend was right, it was a good battle.”

I took his hand and shook it slowly. I still heard my blood pumping in my ears.

“How much do you have?” He asked.

“Huh?” I asked dumbly.

“Money.”

Oh, right. Losing Trainers had to pay up to the winner. It wasn’t a League rule or anything, but more of an agreement among Trainers. No one wanted to battle it out for no stakes. My hand went to my pocket as I cradled Pyre in the other arm, “Uh, almost five hundred.”

He whistled lightly, “Well damn. Gimme fifty and we’ll call it good.”

Morgan stepped to my side again and locked eyes with Arthur, “Yeah, fuck that. Give him twenty, Anwen.”

“Hey, stay out of this,” Arthur warned. I was suddenly very confused.

“One loss and one win each side,” Morgan shrugged, but there was a venom in her tone, “Let’s call it a wash and not have any trouble.”

“That’s bullshit!” Alex said, walking up, “You two are obviously loaded. Fucking pay up.”

I was still struggling to pull my money out of my pocket. Morgan produced the twenty she had won with a flourish and thrust it into Alex’s chest. Her voice became a low growl, “Walk away. Now.”

Before I could process it, Alex had lunged forward and punched Morgan in the face. She reeled backwards as Alex snorted, “Fucking stuck up bitch.” Then he took a step towards me and shouted, “You gonna be smart and give us the money?”

I hadn’t even managed to stutter a word before there was a loud pop and a bright white light. I blinked my eyes clear and saw a huge Pokemon suddenly standing between me and the two boys. It was like a huge turtle, green and brown, with a small tree growing out of the top of its shell. I saw Morgan out of the corner of my eye, holding her face with one hand and an activated Pokeball with the other.

Morgan gave a quivering laugh, “Okay, okay,” Her voice shook with barely-restrained rage, “Since you can’t seem to take no for an answer, we’re gonna have a little lesson, yeah?” The hulking Pokemon stomped the ground and snorted impatiently. The boys started to stumble away from it. “Grover, break their fucking legs.” The Pokemon lunged at the boys, who both shrieked and started to run away. Grover didn’t give chase, but kept itself between us and the fleeing boys. It let out a roar that shook the ground and I dropped to my knees, still cradling Pyre tightly.

Morgan made her way over to me, “You’re okay? They didn’t hit you? If they did I actually will chase them down and break their legs.” I shook my head no. “Good.” She squatted down and took a hold of my arm, helping me up.

Once the boys were out of sight, Grover turned back toward us. I could feel the ground shake with every step it took. Morgan scratched the Pokemon’s head, which was larger than a soccer ball and came up almost to her chest. It scrunched its eyes shut and growled with pleasure.

Morgan let out a ragged sigh, “Sorry about that, I didn’t think the twerp would actually go for the punch. Bet he thought he actually almost won that match. Sucks for him. Those were three of my weakest Pokemon I’ve been trying to train up.”

I tried to replay the events in my mind, “Wait, why didn’t you just let me pay them?” I recalled how skinny they looked. They probably barely had enough money to eat. I actually had plenty of money.

“Pff, I don’t give up shit if I don’t have to. Plus, they were obviously camping.” I must have looked really confused, because she continued, “Scouting out weaker Trainers - like you - for easy money. They probably have a spot just outside of town where they’re set up.” I just sort of nodded.

“Oh wait,” I fished around in my pocket for twenty dollars and held it out to her, “Since you paid out for me.”

She giggled a little, “I didn’t mean it like that. Keep your money. You can pick up the tab for dinner.” Her expression hardened a little and she nodded toward Pyre, “Is she okay?”

“Yeah I think so,” She was breathing a little deeper now, and was starting to warm up, but she was still unconscious.

“Good. We’ll take her to the Pokemon Center before we turn in.” Morgan hoisted herself up onto Grover’s shell and laid back. The sun was starting to set, and the orange light made her pale skin glow warmly. “Damn that shit really got me pissed off. I need to chill out.” She arched her back to reach into her back pocket. I felt the blood rise in my cheeks as I watched the arch of her slim form and her bare stomach thrust in the air. I almost looked away out of embarrassment. Almost. Morgan pulled out a pack of cigarettes and sat up, much to my relief. I almost asked for one, but what she took out of the pack definitely wasn’t a cigarette. She raised an eyebrow at me as I watched her, “You smoke weed?”

\---

We relaxed for a bit and watched the sunset. We sat on top of Morgan’s Pokemon, which she explained was called a Torterra, and that it had been her starter Pokemon. There was just enough room for us both on its back, and we sat close enough that I remained flustered the whole time. I tried a hit of Morgan’s joint. She said it would help me calm down, but after a violent coughing fit and the acrid taste it left in my mouth I declined any more. When the sun had set we walked back into town. We stopped at the Pokemon Center first, and I let them take care of Pyre. I was told to come back for her in the morning. Next Morgan and I found a small pizzeria and gorged ourselves on greasy food. I don’t remember making it back to the hotel, but Morgan must have been much more lucid since she managed to get us there. I remember waking up and seeing her asleep in the other bed. I was simultaneously relieved and frustrated by that. It wasn’t until almost noon that we rolled out of bed to check out of the room.

At the Pokemon Center, I took back Pyre from the nurse and collapsed next to Morgan on the sofa.

“What’s the plan now?” I asked breathlessly.

“There’s a Pokemon Gym in Port Lucius, on the coast,” Morgan mused, “I was planning on heading there next. You wanna tag along? I’m sure Pyre could win you your first badge.”

I nodded. It would be exciting to watch Morgan flex a little in a Pokemon battle. It struck me that I hadn’t actually seen her battle seriously yet.

“Cool,” she said, “I’m gonna use the PC here to call my parents before we head out. If you have anyone to call, you should probably do that, too. They might be worried about you.”

I realized I had forgotten to call Jacob when I had arrived in town yesterday. “Mmm, okay.”

I gave Morgan space while she made her call. When she was done, I slid in and booted up the PC. It had a slot for my Pokedex, and the system logged me in automatically when I inserted it. I selected the ‘Phone’ app. Jacob’s number was already saved to my contact list. I selected his number. It rang for a few seconds before Jacob’s face appeared on the screen, beaming brightly at me.

“Annie! Thanks for calling,” He laughed, “How are things going?”

I rubbed the back of my neck ruefully, “Hey Jacob! It was a bit of a rough hike, but I made it to Park Mills. I’m actually about to leave for Port Lucius, but I thought I’d give you a call.”

He rubbed the stubble on his chin, “I thought you might be heading that way. You know, if you're headed down the coast, you’ll pass by a ranch that raises Rhyhorns. The owners are old friends of mine, so if you tell them I sent you they’ll probably let you spend the night there.”

Friends of Jacob? Huh. I wondered what they must be like. There was a loud beep from Jacob’s end.

“Ah, damn. I gotta go take care of something. Good luck Annie! Call me again when you get the chance!”

His face disappeared from the screen.

Suddenly, Morgan was leaning over my shoulder, “‘Annie’, huh?” A mischievous grin passed across her face, “What’s all that about?”

I sputtered and recoiled, “N-nothing! Jacob’s just my Professor!”

Her grin deepened and she held a hand up to her chin, “Jacob? You’re on a first name basis with your Professor? So scandalous, Annie.”

“It isn’t like that!” I mean, it was, but I really didn’t want Morgan to know that. I shrunk into the corner next to the PC and covered my face with my hands.

Morgan laughed a bit more at my reaction. When I peeked back up at her she was holding out her hand to help me up. Her smile now was much warmer and sincere, “I’m just teasing. I don’t know what your situation is, but I know it isn’t my business.”

I took her hand and she hoisted me up. I leaned forward and brought her into a hug. I could feel her tense up, but after a moment she relaxed again. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly.

I wasn’t sure what path my Pokemon journey would take in the future, but I knew that if Morgan was there with me it would be worthwhile.


	3. Champion

CHAPTER III.

Morgan and I had set up camp on the beach. We were just off Route 72, which ran along the coast. Route 72 ran closer to the highway than most routes, and we could hear the occasional car in the distance. It was late, but still a few hours until sunset. Morgan had made a fire and was busy cooking. She had been appalled to hear I had eaten almost nothing but trail mix and jerky while I had been on the road to Park Mills. She insisted on buying ingredients for cooked meals as we shopped for supplies.

While she cooked, I swiped my way through my Pokedex. Morgan had shown me how to use it to track wild Pokemon, and see which species had been recorded on each route. This information was gathered from Trainers as they caught or scanned Pokemon in the wild, and was uploaded and distributed to other Pokedexes through the League network. The data transfer happened every time a Trainer logged into a PC at a Pokemon Center. It felt kinda creepy, knowing that there was a database out there with a comprehensive record of everything we did. I say ‘we’ because, at this point, I had started to finally think of myself as a Trainer. 

I had brought up Route 72 and was looking at the list of Pokemon native to the area. I noticed I could filter the results by season, time of day, and even Pokemon type. I selected ‘Summer’ and ‘Afternoon’, hoping to shorten the list. Krabby, Staryu, Wooper, Wingull… there were a lot of water Pokemon.

“Anything interesting?” Morgan called over to me.

“I don’t know,” I sighed, “I wouldn’t know which ones are rare or good or anything.”

“That’s okay,” She hummed, “We’ll just wander and see what we find.”

I continued to scroll through the list of Pokemon absentmindedly. I envied Morgan. It seemed to me like nothing could faze her. She took every step with an assuredness that only came with experience. Someone else might have thought that she was just being cavalier, and that she should take things more seriously. They might have even been right. In time, every Trainer learned that there was a thin line between confidence and ignorance.

Morgan slumped down into the sand next to me and handed me a bowl. It was a thin curry over rice, with Pidove meat, rindo beans, and some other vegetables. It smelled delicious. She had set another small bowl out for Pyre, who promptly buried her face in it. I watched as she fed Brownie, her Floette, with her own spoon. I started eating. I was so hungry I had finished half of it before realizing.

“This is amazing,” I said, setting down my spoon for a moment, “Where did you learn to cook like this?”

“Thanks,” She giggled, “Mostly my parents, but I guess I’ve gotten better since I left home. Trial and error stuff. I’ve eaten my share of failed dishes.”

I nodded thoughtfully. There it was again. That quiet confidence.

“What about you? You can’t be a completely hopeless cook.”

I thought for a bit. “I’ve been in boarding school since junior high,” I admitted, “So I mostly just ate at the cafeteria. I used to cook breakfast with my dad when I was little. I’m still okay at stuff like that - y’know, hot cakes and eggs and whatever.”

“I should let you make breakfast sometime, then!” Morgan said cheerfully. 

Morgan seemed lost in thought as we finished dinner. After she was done, she scraped her spoon around the bottom of the bowl as if she was considering something. Finally she turned to me. She looked confused and anxious. It wasn’t a look I had expected from her. 

“You…” She pursed her lips, “You weren’t forced to be a Trainer, were you?”

“What?”

“The boarding school thing. You didn’t attend public school. No way they got you with the Amber Act.” Her voice carried a cold scrutiny.

Oh. “Yeah, I chose.”

“Huh,” She looked away from me, down at her feet.

It hadn’t crossed my mind that she had probably been forced to become a Trainer. Most Trainers had. At the time, I didn’t understand. Weren’t we both chasing the same goal?

“Listen, Anwen,” Morgan began haltingly, “I’m not going to tell you off, even if I want to.” I opened my mouth to object, but she motioned for me to let her finish. “I don’t know why anyone would choose, well,” She swept a hand to indicate our meager campsite, “This. You must have a good reason, I just-” Her voice caught a bit in her throat.

I could tell I had hurt her. I didn’t know how, but that wasn’t important right now. I couldn’t stand the way her eyes were measuring me - trying to fathom what other betrayals hid beneath the skin. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep anything a secret.”

“No, you were right to.” She said sharply, standing up. “Trust me, you should never tell other Trainers that.”

“Wait, why?”

Morgan just shook her head, “Just don’t. I’m gonna clean up, then we’ll go look for some Pokemon. You should get ready.” She took the bowls and went to wash them out. 

I was left alone to wonder just what I had done to hurt her. Well, not quite alone. Pyre finished licking the curry off her snout and slinked over to me. She put her front paws on my thigh and chirped up at me. I scratched her behind her ears and she gave a soft growl of pleasure. I continued to sulk for a bit before I got up. I collected my water bottle and two of the empty Pokeballs that Jacob had given me.

Morgan walked back up the beach with an armful of dishes and the leftover rice in a plastic bag. She stuffed it all away in her pack. She ran her hand through her hair slowly and sighed. “Okay, you got everything?” She asked.

I nodded, “Good to go.”

We wandered along the beach for a while. It was nice to walk around without my pack on, even if my legs were still aching. Morgan said it would get easier as I travelled more and got stronger, but that even she still had rough days on the trail. We talked for a long time, and I was starting to get to know her. She was sixteen, and had become a Trainer at the beginning of this year after failing her first term of high school. Her family owned a farm in Sinnoh, in a town called Solaceon. She had grown up helping out around the farm, and knew a lot about how to care for plants. When she became a Trainer, she found that her talents were ideal for raising Grass types. It explained why she had so many plant Pokemon.

We ran into a few wild Pokemon while walking. There were a lot of Wingull, but they mostly flew around high in the air, keeping away from us. Pyre busied herself chasing Krabby into the surf.

“Krabby are pretty cool,” Morgan remarked, “They evolve into Kingler, which are really powerful. They get overlooked by Trainers a lot though, since they’re really common.”

I got one of my empty Pokeballs out of my pocket, considering trying to catch one. I didn’t seem to ever get the chance, though, since they kept running away from Pyre and fleeing into the ocean.

Morgan knew a lot about Pokemon. I was sort of intimidated - was I going to have to memorize all the stuff she seemed to know? “Do all Trainers know as much as you do?” I asked.

Morgan laughed, “I don’t think so. My parents were both Trainers when they were younger. They used to tell me all kinds of stories. Plus, we had a lot of Pokemon around the farm.”

It was strange to think that Morgan had been forced to become a Trainer. If someone else had told me I don’t think I would have believed them. She seemed so suited to the job it was scary sometimes. The way she handled her Pokemon seemed effortless, and she seemed to have something to say about every species of Pokemon we came across. She even looked the part, now more than ever. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and her clothes were much more suited to travel - baggy capris, high-laced hiking sandals, and a loose, sleeveless t-shirt. Her arms and legs were slim, but well-toned like they were solid muscle.

“Anwen?”

Morgan had been saying something while my mind wandered. I suddenly became very aware that I had been staring. I quickly looked away, hiding the rising blush in my cheeks, “Sorry, what?”

“I said I think Pyre found something.”

Pyre was uphill at the edge of the beach, halfway into the tall grass. I heard her growl, which was punctuated by an occasional high-pitched bark. Her single white tail stood on end, perfectly still. There was also a quiet chittering squeak which I could not see the source of. Morgan and I stalked our way up the beach to get a better look. As we neared the grass, I saw another Pokemon hunched low to the ground, still mostly obscured by the grass. Its hide looked like yellow brick, its beady black eyes fixed on Pyre. It was about the same size as her. I was relieved that she likely wasn’t in danger.

“It’s a Sandshrew,” Whispered Morgan, “A young one. Pyre could probably take it.”

I was about to order Pyre to attack when I felt a strange sensation, like a chill that ran down my spine unbidden. I tried to take a step forward, but my movements were sluggish as if I was underwater. A soothing rhythm pulsed in my head. I almost lost myself in it, and then I realized it wasn’t just in my head. Pyre was making guttural clicking noises with the same rhythm.

“Holy shit,” Morgan whispered next to me. Her voice rang clear, and the congested feeling in my head faded somewhat, “Do you feel that?”

“Byuh,” It took some effort to concentrate enough to speak, “What?”

Morgan took a hold of my hand, “Focus on the feeling of my hand, okay? But keep watching.”

I did as I was told. It could have been seconds or minutes that passed, but slowly the Sandshrew began to close its eyes. They fluttered for a bit, as if it was fighting to stay awake. Finally, it collapsed heavily on the ground. Pyre relaxed slightly and went silent. As she did, the haze was lifted from my mind. I looked around as if I had just snapped awake from a dream.

“That was so cool,” Morgan breathed beside me, “I’ll explain later. For now, you could try and catch it, if you want.”

I nodded and activated the Pokeball I had been carrying. I brought back my arm like I had watched baseball players do and threw it at the Sandshrew. I hadn’t thrown a ball since I was little, playing with other kids at school. It showed. The throw was awkward, but it still grazed the Sandshrew on its flank. The ball cracked open and there was a flash of white light. In a moment, the Pokemon was consumed by the light. The ball closed and fell to the ground. The ball shook on the ground once, then twice. Then it started to jerk back and forth more rapidly. There was another flash of white and the Sandshrew was back on the ground. Its eyes shot open. Letting out a shrill squeak, it dashed further into the grass and out of our sight. The Pokeball lay on the ground, cracked open and smoking, broken.

“Ah, damn,” Said Morgan, standing up, “It was worth a shot. Usually you try to wear out a Pokemon more before you try to catch it. I thought since it was asleep it might have worked, but,” She shrugged, “It’s never a sure thing.”

I blinked, still taking everything in, “What happened just now?”

“Oh right,” Morgan snapped her fingers, “Pyre used a Move. Hypnosis, I think.”

“What? How?”

“Pokemon can use Moves on their own. They do it pretty often, actually. I didn’t think Vulpix learned Hypnosis, though.”

I tried to remember what Moves I had seen when I had checked the Pokedex entry for Vulpix. I couldn’t remember seeing a Move named Hypnosis on the list. I made my way up to the grass towards Pyre, but she had apparently sniffed something out and was making her way further into the grass.

“I think Pyre found something else.” I said over my shoulder.

Morgan followed me up to the edge of the tall grass. We watched as Pyre sniffed and pawed at something on the ground. More than one thing, I realized. There were a cluster of pinkish round shapes in the grass. As I tried to puzzle out what it could be, one of the shapes jumped up. It was egg-shaped, and, more disturbingly, it had a face. As the rest of them started to wobble and jump, I saw that they all had faces. I retrieved my Pokedex and opened it. “Exeggcute, the Egg Pokemon. Using telepathy only they can employ, they always form a cluster of six Exeggcute.”

I turned to Morgan, still hopelessly lost. “So this is one Pokemon? Or is it six?”

Morgan laughed, “A little of both, I think. You only need one Pokeball to catch it, though.”

The Exeggcute had started to move around, and were now beginning to swarm around Pyre. She seemed a little overwhelmed, but it didn’t look like they were managing to hurt her. Still, she was having trouble retaliating while they were in the grass.

“Pyre!” She looked up at me as I called, “Push them onto the beach!”

She seemed to get it, as she began to pounce and scatter them, slowly, out of the grass. One by one the Exeggcute were rolled out onto the sand, where they had a much more difficult time moving or bouncing. Pyre finally trotted out of the grass with the last one in her mouth. She shook it playfully before dropping it into the sand with the others. It now had a crack in it that I didn’t think was there before.

“Okay Pyre, use Hypnosis!”

Her tail shot up at my command. She began making those same clicking noises, and she started to sway back and forth. This time she seemed to have a little more control, and I only felt a slight dreamy feeling. In a few moments, the exhausted Exeggcute was fast asleep.

I took the other Pokeball out of my pocket and activated it. I felt a little cheated after that last attempt, and now I really wanted to catch a Pokemon. I was close, so I tossed the ball underhand. It landed dead center on the Pokemon, which was sucked up by the bright light. When the ball fell to the ground, it hardly moved at all before the little red light at the center went dull.

Morgan clasped me on the shoulder, causing me to inhale sharply from the pain, “Nicely done. How’s it feel to have caught your first Pokemon?”

I stepped forward and picked up the ball from the sand. I considered the question as I brushed the ball off, “I dunno, actually. How did you feel after your first catch?”

“Eh, nothing really.”

I looked down at the ball in my hand, “What am I even gonna do with this Pokemon?” It didn’t seem like it could battle very well. I had gotten so invested in catching a Pokemon I hadn’t considered what to do afterward.

“Whatever you want, really,” Morgan said. She started to walk back along the beach to our campsite. I deactivated the Pokeball and jogged up next to her, Pyre at my heels. “You could train it, of course. You’d need a Leaf Stone to evolve it, though, and those things are never cheap.” She sounded like she had tried to get a hold of one herself. “You don’t always have to train Pokemon for battle, though. You know Lapras?”

I nodded yes. Lapras was a popular Pokemon. Owing to its graceful appearance and singing voice, it was used on advertisements for everything from cruise ships to karaoke bars. I bet almost everyone who lived in the United Regions knew what it looked like.

“Trainers hardly ever battle with them. Mostly just use them to cruise along rivers or the coast. Hell of a way to travel, I bet.” She paused and thought for a moment. “Some Pokemon don’t get used at all. I even have a handful of Pokemon in my Box that I haven’t used since I caught them.”

We continued back to the campsite in silence. The sun was beginning to set across the waves, bathing us in soft yellow light. I could taste the salt in the air as a gentle breeze wafted past us. It had been a good day. I had caught my first Pokemon, and Pyre was growing. Morgan might have been upset, but at least for now she was still with me.

\---

The next day was gloomy. A light rain woke us up well before sunrise. We hurried to get our bags packed up before our supplies were soaked through. Morgan made breakfast, using the leftover rice from the night before and a red bean paste to make rice balls. Morgan tried to explain that she usually made them with rice flour and fried them up, but I wasn’t paying much attention. We both felt so miserable from the rain that it was hard to keep a conversation going. We finished breaking camp in silence.

When we were ready to set out, Morgan brought Grover out of his ball. She fed him a few of the rice balls, which he gobbled from her hands greedily. He didn’t seem to mind the rain, and was beaming with pleasure after Morgan finished feeding him. I guess it made sense, since plants relied on the rain to survive.

Morgan motioned for me to climb onto him. I climbed up uneasily, slipping a few times on Grover’s rain-slick hide. Morgan followed me up and we silently huddled, drenched, under the meager cover of the tree growing from Grover’s shell.

As Grover trudged along the route north, I became increasingly restless. I had returned Pyre to her ball, since she would certainly have been even more miserable than I was in the rain. I decided to try letting the Exeggcute I had caught out for a while. I took the ball out of my bag. For now I had been keeping it separate from Pyre’s, but soon I was going to need some way to tell them apart. I rapped the ball sharply on my knee and it split open. The Exeggcute were deposited in a patch of moss on Grover’s shell. They shifted their gazes around warily for a few moments before relaxing a bit. I noticed one was still cracked from where Pyre had bitten down on it yesterday. I thought I could see a bit of yellow seeping out.

“Are these guys, like, actual eggs?” I asked.

“Nah,” Morgan answered. She was looking off into the distance. I couldn’t tell if she was concentrating on something or just feeling despondent. “I think they’re more like seeds.”

I broke up one of the rice balls and started feeding each of them. I tried to pet them and scratch them, but their shells were hard and didn’t give at all. They seemed to like the attention though, so I picked them up two at a time and set them in my lap. To my surprise, they even felt a little warm. With my arms folded around them, they soon fell asleep.

Grover continued to saunter down the route, the three of us on his shell huddled to stay out of the rain.

\---

The day passed slowly, all the more agonizing for our discomfort. The few Trainers we saw seemed to go out of their way to avoid us. Grover was an intimidating Pokemon - I could understand why Morgan didn’t usually keep him out while she was travelling.

It was late afternoon when Morgan shook me awake. My bleary, unfocused eyes rolled over to look at her. She was sitting straight up, barely moving, her hand still on my shoulder. She was looking past me, out into the mist toward the beach.

“Urgh,” I groaned, “What is it?”

“Can you hear that?” Her voice was quiet. She didn’t sound scared, but serious and focused.

I couldn’t hear anything besides the unceasing drizzle of rain, and the pitter-patter of the droplets on Grover’s leaves. “Nothing,” I said, “Is something wrong?”

“Not sure yet,” She breathed, her breath visible in the air, “Grover, go towards the beach.”

Grover shifted his great mass and began ambling down the hill. As we neared the beach, I thought I heard something. It sounded like a deep wheeze, or wind blown through narrow caves. It must have been the sound Morgan was hearing.

“Is that…?” I asked hesitantly, “Is something breathing?”

Morgan had her eyes fixed forward, “Something big.”

We braced ourselves as Grover descended the hill steeply, sliding the last few feet onto the beach. Morgan made a graceful leap onto the sand as Grover impacted. I held tightly to the tree, my face pressed against the slick bark, and the Exeggcute bounced roughly in my lap.

“This way!” Morgan called back towards us, and took off at a light jog up the beach.

I saw the shape of it well before we got close. It was nearly a perfect oval, bigger than a city bus. Through the mist, the massive Pokemon let out a haunting cry. Morgan had stopped. I slid awkwardly off of the shell and ran up beside her, leaving the Exeggcute with Grover.

“Is this safe?” I asked.

“Dealing with Pokemon is never safe,” She was still on edge, and her voice cut sharply, “But I think it needs help.”

We approached the Pokemon slowly, watching its form heave with labored breaths. It was a Wailord, fully beached and helpless. Morgan walked up to it. She made sure that it noticed her, moving slowly and staying in its line of sight. I held my breath. If it panicked, it could seriously hurt her. After a tense moment, Morgan touched it below its mouth and rubbed it gently. The Wailord let out a soft cry. I approached in the same way.

“What are we gonna do?”

Morgan seemed to think for a moment, “We’ll try pushing it first. Grover is strong. It might be enough.”

I considered it. As I turned the idea around in my head, I had another one, “What if we try to catch it?” I asked, “Then we just need to toss the ball into the ocean, and when it breaks it’ll be in the water.”

Morgan shook her head, “Normal Pokeballs aren’t strong enough to contain Pokemon this large. You’d need a Heavy Ball to even have a shot.” I must have looked a little crestfallen, because she tried to soften the blow, “It was a nice thought, but no, we’re gonna have to do this the hard way.”

I returned the Exeggcute and the three of us got into position to push. I couldn’t tell what the Wailord was feeling - its small black eyes gave no indication. We began to push.

I felt like I wasn’t very helpful. As soon as we began to shove, my feet sunk up to my ankles in the wet sand. I wasn’t able to dig my heels in at all, and I spent most of my time sliding in place. Morgan didn’t seem to be faring much better. Grover was sliding less, and his legs bulged with impressive muscle, but the Wailord was too heavy, and sunk too deeply into the soft sand.

After a minute of effort I had to rest, and Grover quickly followed my lead. His breaths were coming heavily, and I watched as he blew streams of hot breath from his nostrils. Morgan was the last to rest. She must have been so focused that she didn’t even realize Grover and I had stopped. She had kept pushing desperately in the pouring rain, in defiance of a world that could not tell her it was futile. She dropped to her knees and looked over her shoulder at us. She wiped the rain off of her face with her arm. Her eyes were red and swollen.

“Okay,” She croaked, “New plan.”

We all caught our breath for a few minutes. I wondered what had gotten Morgan so worked up. She couldn’t sit still, and was pacing back and forth in the sand. So what if we weren’t able to save it? It was just a Pokemon. They died all the time. We needed to start worrying about ourselves. It was getting dark, and the rain didn’t seem like it was going to let up. We needed to find some kind of shelter.

I knew I couldn’t tell her any of this. Watching her, seeing the manic energy flash across her face, I doubted she was fielding suggestions right now. She was probably still upset with me, too. I wasn’t about to test those waters.

Something seemed to click in Morgan’s mind, and she stalked over to where Grover was lying, slightly lopsided, in the sand.

“Hey,” Her voice was a conspiratorial whisper, “Remember that thing you learned in Pastoria?”

Grover’s gaze seemed to harden, and he gave a huff of affirmation.

She patted his shell, “Let’s give it a shot, then.”

Grover heaved his great weight off the beach, clumps of wet sand sloughing off his body. Planting his four feet firmly in the sand, he began to growl deeply. For a minute I didn’t see any effect, until the sand shifted and a thick root snaked through the sand. My gaze followed it back up to the small bluff overlooking the beach, where a mass of tangled roots were coiling down towards us.

“Grover, now!” Morgan yelled, “Use Frenzy Plant!”

The mass of roots surged forward toward the beached Wailord, undulating through the sand. I held my breath as they reached it, disappearing beneath its mass. For a moment, there was silence. Then, the gigantic Pokemon let out a panicked wail as it seemed to shift. The tangled roots had pushed it up slightly. I watched in awe. I should have been terrified at the raw power on display, but I only desperately hoped it would be enough.

As if to shatter my hopes, there was a loud snapping noise and the Wailord dropped back into the sand.

Morgan screamed. She threw a fistful of sand at nothing in particular. “Fuck!” Her voice cracked with frustration and anger, “Why the hell? Just fucking let me have this!” Morgan dropped to her knees.

I didn’t know how to help her. It was clear she was contending with something much larger and more sinister than the Wailord. I couldn’t begin to guess what darkness had coiled itself around her heart, strangling it of hope. I wanted to comfort her, but I was afraid she would push me away again.

As I stood on that beach, rain-soaked and cold, I realized how strange that thought was. Was I so fearful of rejection that I couldn’t move myself to help a friend who was so obviously hurting? I almost felt ashamed as I thought it.

I stumbled over to Morgan’s side and knelt next to her. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. She didn’t return my embrace, but she didn’t reject it. Maybe that was progress.

“I’m here,” I consoled her, “Everything will be okay.”

Morgan leaned into me and began to sob into my shoulder. I held her tightly, and wondered if it really would be okay. Whatever was hurting her was larger than both of us, small and scared as we were. It was hard to watch Morgan, who had seemed so collected and competent, crumple under the load that she carried. If she couldn’t bear it, who could? Would we all face what she did on the way to our goal? Would any Trainer make it through unscathed? Already I had an idea that the answers to these questions were not ones I wanted to hear.

“Hey!” A voice called from up the beach, cutting through the rain, “Are you okay?”

I looked up from where my head had rested on Morgan’s drenched hair. Strands of it stuck lazily to my face. There was a man running towards us. He looked lean and fit, and made his way along the beach with long, sure strides. He was wearing a compression t-shirt and swimming trunks, with sandals and a ball cap. I would have thought that he was in his mid-to-late twenties, except that I knew he wasn’t. I recognized him. He had a tall face, with a long, narrow nose that ran most of its length. His blonde, curly hair was short, and only just spilled out from under his hat.

He reached us with astonishing speed. He made an impressed whistle as he regarded the Wailord, then turned back to us, repeating his question, “You both safe?” 

I nodded a bit.

“Good. Lemme take care of this real quick.”

He reached into a pack on his waist and removed a Pokeball, activating it. It was all black, splotched with green. When he threw the ball, the Pokemon didn’t appear in a flash of white light, but rather emerged from a roiling cloud of inky blackness. As the darkness cleared, the Pokemon raised itself up to its full height. It was easily nine feet tall, covered in a jagged green hide that seemed like it was made from compacted clay or sand. It had a mouth of sharp teeth and dark, sunken eyes that glinted with sinister intelligence, as if appraising how best to destroy everything around it.

“Autumn, help the poor thing back in the water.”

The Tyranitar growled affirmatively, a low and hollow sound, like stone grinding in a deep tunnel. Its thick tail thumped against the sand once, then twice, and again. The beach itself seemed to move to the rhythm made by the great beast, vibrating beneath us. The sand swirled in a huge ring around the Wailord, which cried as it was spun. The Tyranitar growled quietly in concentration, its eyes only barely open. The sand surged and ebbed as if it were the tide itself, sliding the Wailord gently into the sea. It was over in minutes.

As the Wailord slid into the ocean, we heard it call out to us once more. I could sense the relief and joy in the cry. A fountain of water from its spout was the last we saw of it as it disappeared beneath the waves.

“Thanks, Autumn,” The man said cheerfully, and quickly recalled his Pokemon, chuckling a bit, “She really doesn’t like the rain. I’m going to have to make it up to her later.”

He glanced over at the both of us and saw us both staring. I pushed myself up to my feet.

“Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself,” He said with casual embarrassment, “I’m Wayne.”

“Champion.”

“Huh?”

“Johto League Champion Wayne Aspen,” I said more clearly, “That’s you right?”

He gave a tight frown, “Yeah, that’s me. Seems everyone knows me these days.”

I reached down to help Morgan up. She was starting to compose herself. “I’m Anwen, this is Morgan,” Then I nodded behind me, “That’s Grover.”

“Nice to meet you,” He said, “I didn’t expect to find anyone out here in this weather. Are you camped nearby?”

I shook my head no, “We didn’t have a chance before we found that Wailord.”

“You all should follow me then. I’m staying nearby.”

I looked to Morgan. She still seemed drained and lethargic, but she gave me a slight nod.

“Thank you very much,” I said, bowing slightly, “Please lead the way.”

The four of us made our way back to the path and continued north. Morgan rested on Grover while I walked with Wayne, explaining what had happened while trying to leave Morgan’s breakdown out of it.

I had met him once before, though I doubt he would remember. It was at a military banquet several years ago, when he and my father had been working together. Champions who continued to work for the Pokemon League were sometimes assigned as advisors on military operations. It wasn’t common, but sometimes an expert on Pokemon training and handling was necessary. We didn’t really talk. I was shy, and twelve years old. I think I mostly hid behind my mother’s dress all night. I remember him there, though. He was one of the youngest officers in the room, yet he seemed more feral, and more at ease, like a Mightyena in a field of Mareep.

Looking at him on that rainy path, I wasn’t certain I saw the same thing. Maybe I had gotten older and less easily impressed, or else his attitude had been likewise tempered by age. Who can say?

The sun had set by the time we saw the soft glow of electric lights in the distance.

“You live here?” I asked, incredulously. Yugan region wasn’t a total backwater I guess, but there weren’t any major cities, like Goldenrod or Saffron, and it was difficult to travel around. I had thought a Champion would have lived somewhere busier.

“My parents do,” He laughed, “I’m on vacation at the moment.”

We couldn’t see much through the darkness, but the house looked very traditional - especially the ceramic-tiled roof. Once we reached the front door, Morgan returned Grover to his ball and we were ushered inside. The interior was just as rustic, with thin walls, sliding doors, and floors covered in tatami mats.

“Ma!” Wayne called out as he shut the door behind us, “Found a couple Trainers caught out in the rain! Thought you might wanna fuss over them a bit.”

A woman who couldn’t be older than forty rounded the corner in an instant. She was heavyset, with a round face and hair the same color as Wayne’s, though hers wasn’t nearly as curly. Her eyes lit up as she saw us.

“Aw you poor things!” She exclaimed, “You look like a couple drowned Meowth - I’ll draw up a bath for the both of you before you catch cold.” Before I knew it, she had Morgan and me out of our shoes and swaddled in a pair of dry towels. “Y’know Wayne, your fiance’s gonna be real jealous if you start bringing cute Trainers around like this.”

I felt myself start to blush a little, and so did Wayne, I guessed, by the way he turned away slightly. “Gimme a break, Ma,” He drawled, “Helping Trainers is part of my job.”

“Well you certainly do find the cutest li’l things,” She sighed, “What are your names, girls?”

“I’m Anwen, and this is Morgan.”

“Anwen?” She thought for a moment, “Say Wayne, didn’t Jacob say something about an Anwen coming by here? Tamarack, right? Don’t you know a Tamarack from somewhere?”

Wayne’s eyes seemed to narrow at me immediately, “Now that you mention it,” He said slowly, “I used to work with a Colonel Tamarack."


	4. Charity

CHAPTER IV.

We weren’t interrogated immediately. Mrs. Aspen - or Gloria at her insistence - had been adamant that we take a bath and eat before her son could demand an explanation. Wayne had relented, but he seemed stiffer and more on edge as he stalked down the hall. It seemed I was having that effect on people lately.

“That boy,” Gloria huffed, “Wins one tournament and it all goes to his head.”

We were led to the bathroom, where she helped us scrub off before we got in the bath. The water was hot - steam wafted off the surface, coiling around my fingers as I played with it. The exterior door was cracked slightly, and we could hear the gentle patter of rain from outside. Morgan and I sat with our backs touching. I was too tired to be bashful or embarrassed about it.

I nudged her a bit with my elbow, “How are you holding up?”

“I feel better,” She said. It was a hollow reassurance, I could tell, but her voice sounded clearer and more confident than it had earlier. It was progress. “Thanks for keeping quiet about me back there.”

“Don’t mention it,” I deflected, “Like you said, we all have our own reasons and shit, right?”

She laughed at that, “I did, huh? Doesn’t sound like me.”

The water sloshed dangerously as I drove my elbow into her ribs. We both laughed. They were ugly, wheezing, full-body laughs that seemed to shake off all the tension of the last two days.

Morgan wiped at a tear forming at the corner of her eye, “Hey, let’s make a deal.”

“I accept.”

“I didn’t tell you what it is yet,” She scowled, “I’m serious.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Can we both pretend the last couple days didn’t happen? I’ll ignore your dumb personal shit and you ignore mine?”

I was a little surprised by that. I’ll admit, it was easier to think of her as just the cool, older Trainer who had taken me under her wing. If she didn’t want to open up to me, then maybe that was better.

“Sure,” I said, “I can do that.”

“Good,” She sighed, slouching into the water a bit more, “Thanks.”

We got out of the bath when Gloria came in and told us she had food ready. We dried ourselves off quickly and dressed in a pair of spare nightclothes that she had put out for us. In the kitchen we were joined by Wayne and another woman. She looked like she was in her early twenties, but she was obviously foreign and it was hard to tell. She had pale skin and sharp features. Her long, golden hair was pinned up in a messy bun. She introduced herself as Camille, Wayne’s fiance.

Gloria had made up some leftovers from their dinner earlier, and Morgan and I ate ravenously. It was fried teriyaki tofu and vegetables over noodles and a green onion miso soup. Gloria had apologized for the simplicity of the meal, and though she was just being polite, we both praised her cooking in between heaping mouthfuls of food.

After we had finished eating, Gloria led Morgan to the guest room. I was left conspicuously alone with Wayne and Camille. The latter looked rather uninterested, but Wayne was regarding me seriously.

“So,” I broke the silence, “Camille, you’re from Kalos?”

“Born there,” She sighed, “But I grew up in Celadon.”

“That makes sense, your Kantonese is very good.”

She didn’t respond, simply twirling a stray lock of her hair in her finger. This was productive.

It was Wayne who spoke next, “Anwen, you’ve put me in a difficult spot.”

“How is that?” My voice had an edge to it that I hadn’t intended, but felt right.

“I know your father. I know you ran away from home.”

“So what?”

“I also gave Jacob a call. He and I were friends growing up. He didn’t tell you that?” Wayne was trying to bait me into something. Maybe he just wanted me to get angry.

“Wow. Get to the point.”

Wayne leaned back and groaned, “This sucks. Honey, please tell me you don’t want kids anytime soon?”

Camille just snorted in response.

“Thanks,” He said sarcastically, then looked back to me, “Your dad doesn’t know you’re gone yet, but he’s gonna be fucking livid when he finds out. You should be the one to tell him, but if you won’t then I’ll have to. I’m not looking forward to that.”

I snorted dismissively.

“But that’s not the point,” He continued, “Between your dad and I, we could have you removed from the League database. You don’t have to continue being a Trainer. You shouldn’t. Believe me, I’ve been through that shit and it’s nothing you want.”

The comment struck a nerve. The insinuation that I didn’t know what I was getting into was annoying, if somewhat true as I was beginning to learn. But the suggestion that even the most impulsive, life-changing decision I’ve ever made could be reversed as if it had never happened? That was infuriating. It made me feel powerless. I lashed out, “Could you do that for Morgan?”

Wayne paused slightly. The question had taken him by surprise. Good. His voice was a bit strained as he continued, “You know I can’t do that.”

“Do I?” I seethed, “If I can get out like it never happened, why can’t she?”

“It’s different, she’s an Amber.”

I slammed my hand on the table, a little harder than I had meant to, “Then I don’t want your fucking charity, either.”

Wayne looked chastised, but Camille burst into sardonic laughter, “Wow, she sounds like a Team Ronin member already,” Her voice was a sneer, “Who recruited you, kid? Give us a name and save us the trouble of hunting them down.”

“Don’t joke about that,” Wayne warned her. His tone told me she had overstepped in some way. He turned back to me, “Look, I’m no good at this, but I’m fucking scared for you.”

I got up from the table to leave.

“I know the deal between you and Jacob,” He said, exasperated.

I froze.

“He admitted everything to me. I am so sorry. I didn’t know he was that kind of person.”

I felt hot tears start to run down my cheeks, “You don’t know shit. It wasn’t like that.”

“Yes it was. Listen,” He said, “I haven’t reported anything yet. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m going to. I don’t really give a shit about his dumb ass right now. I know I’m really bad at it, but I want to make sure you’re okay.”

I stood where I was. My feet wouldn’t move. I bunched my hands into the sleeves of the nightshirt and brought them up to hide my face.

“No one besides us knows about this. I’m going to have to tell my Ma, too. Not everything, but enough so she can talk to you about it. You need to talk to someone.”

I trembled in place. I have a hard time remembering what I was feeling just then. I felt small. Betrayed, maybe. Lost and drowning. Time has a tendency to blunt things like that. Maybe it’s good the feelings don’t cut so deep, years later.

“Fuck,” Wayne breathed, “I’m gonna go get Ma.”

“Meet you back in the room in a bit then,” Camille said airily, “Don’t take too long.” She got up and left. Wayne followed soon after.

I don’t know how long I stood there. At some point I had slipped down to my knees. I remember Gloria helped me up and led me to the guest room. There were two sleeping mats with ample blankets on the floor. Morgan was curled up in one. Gloria got me tucked into the other. I was glad Morgan was asleep already. I didn’t really want her to see me like this. I guess I knew how she felt earlier that day, when she asked me to forget.

\---

The next day we woke up to a bright sunlight that poured into the room. The rain had stopped, it seemed, and I had managed to get the best night’s sleep I’d had since before I left home. I heard the cries of Starly from outside. The smell of damp earth baked by the sun wafted into the room and mixed with the earthy scent of the straw mats. It was such a rustic smell. I wasn’t used to it at all, but I was already starting to like it.

Breakfast was simple - rice, eggs, and fresh berries. It tasted delicious, and I found myself focused on the food. Conversation was sparse anyway, mostly Morgan talking with Wayne about battle strategies. They switched topics so fast I couldn’t really follow, so I let my mind wander a bit.

I couldn’t help but think about the conversation last night. Not the part about Jacob - I had already buried that pretty deep and it would be a while before I dredged it up again. I did think about my family, though. My parents would definitely be angry at me when they found out I had run away. It had been the hardest part of deciding to leave. My actions would reflect badly on the family’s reputation, I knew. At best, other prominent families would think my parents couldn’t handle me or discipline me properly; at worst, that they were hurting me. Neither one was true, of course, but people talk.

I had hoped that my actions would have the opposite effect, eventually. Completing the Pokemon League Challenge by collecting eight badges was impressive enough, but winning a Championship was worthy of national attention. The four main regions each held their own tournaments, annually, which were open to all Trainers with eight or more badges. The winner of each was given the title of Champion, along with the prize money - which I had heard was quite substantial. In addition, the Champion was then offered an official position in the Pokemon League. Wayne was one of the Champions who had taken the League up on this offer. At the time, I understood them to be ambassadors of a sort.

We had just finished breakfast as the front door opened and two young boys stumbled into the room, pushing each other and laughing.

Gloria was finishing her tea while Morgan and I were collecting the dishes, and she shot them a significant glare, “Boys, behave yourselves. We have guests.”

The first boy through the door snapped upright immediately at her words. He was short, certainly younger than me, with a large, square forehead and narrow eyes. He had black hair that looked like it had been shaved off several weeks ago, and was now a very unflattering length where each hair stood straight out. “S-sorry ma’am,” He stuttered.

The second boy did not stop immediately, pushing his way into the room around the first, breathing heavily through gasped laughter. He was also young, no older than twelve, but was obviously related to the other Aspens. He looked more like Gloria - his mother, I assumed - than Wayne did. His mop of hair was more wavy than curly, and he had a thickness to him like he was still carrying most of his baby fat.

“Owen!”

“Ah, sorry Ma.”

Gloria shook her head and sighed, “Anwen, Morgan, this is my youngest, Owen. The marginally more well-behaved one is Matthew, he’s staying here and helping out around the ranch.”

We introduced ourselves awkwardly, our arms full of stacked dishes, as we backed our way into the kitchen. As we stacked the dishes, I heard Wayne say something in a low tone, obviously not directed at us. I glanced over my shoulder to see Owen hand over a Pokeball to Wayne. It was white on the bottom, but the top was black with yellow stripes. I averted my gaze.

Morgan had already started cleaning the dishes, I noticed. I slid in next to her and started scrubbing a soapy bowl. Keeping my voice low, I asked her what type of Pokeball I had just seen.

“Probably an Ultra Ball,” She said after hearing my description, “They have a good catch rate, and can contain up to Class IV Pokemon. Expensive.”

“Class four?” I inquired further.

“Eugh,” She groaned, “I forget you have no idea about this stuff. It’s just a classification the League uses, based on size and power.”

“Okay,” I noticed her hesitation, like it was a pain to explain, so I tried to dig deeper, “What class is Grover in?”

“Torterra are Class III. That’s the highest class of Pokemon you can have out of a Pokeball in a populated area,” She seemed to get into the explanation as she was aggressively wiping down a few bowls I had stacked up for her, “Beyond that, up to Class IV Pokemon are usually allowed in tournaments - Pokemon like Wayne’s Tyranitar. They can be a little more dangerous and a little harder to control, right? So you can’t have them out in public without a special license. Then you have the Class Vs. They’re the ones like Onix and Gyarados, who can be a danger based on their size alone, and you can get in some pretty serious trouble just having them out of a ball within city limits. Some tournaments allow them, but generally gyms and the like won’t, unless they’ve been specifically built for that kind of thing.”

“That’s a very good explanation,” Wayne said, having entered the kitchen. We both snapped our heads to look at him, surprised, but he just continued, “Now that you mention it, I hear the Pewter City Gym recently relocated to an outdoor location for just that reason. Word is the new Gym Leader there is pretty hardcore.”

“Pewter City,” Morgan hummed, “That’s a rock type gym. Probably uses Onix a lot, huh?”

“That’s what I hear.” Wayne said, obviously impressed, “You know your stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised to see you competing in a League tournament soon.”

“Thanks,” Morgan laughed awkwardly, turning back to the dishes. I thought I saw a little red around her ears.

“Anyway,” Wayne continued, “Ma says you two should get dressed whenever you’re done in here. She wants to give you a tour of the ranch.”

We both turned to give a nod, which he returned. He stepped back out of the kitchen, and soon the residents of the house had dispersed to dress and prepare themselves for the day. Morgan and I finished cleaning up soon after. When we returned to our room, we found our clothes from yesterday freshly laundered and folded up. Where did Gloria find the time to do all of this? It had seemed she was constantly cooking or doting on us. I didn’t think I would be able to thank her enough.

We dressed and made our way outside. It was late in the morning now, and the sun was starting to beat down mercilessly on us as we met the others. The rain had been baked away by the harsh sun, and the air was thick with humidity. Even just breathing was uncomfortable - it felt like I was taking in lungfuls of water, and my throat caught reflexively with each breath. The familiar drone of Nincada was loud and incessant. My eyes recoiled from the sun. I realized I hadn’t brought a hat or sunglasses. I put them on my list of things to buy once we found ourselves in Port Lucius.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: I despised the summer.

We spent the rest of the morning in the company of Wayne and Gloria, who walked us around the ranch. They explained that the land in this area had thin, poor-quality soil that was no good for farming, and so it was an ideal spot for raising livestock. The Aspen ranch had been in their family for generations, but they had been struggling for years raising cattle. Gloria’s father had begun raising Rhyhorn as well, and it turned out to be much more profitable. Rhyhorn racing was a well-loved sport in Kalos, and had become massively popular in the United Regions since the occupation. Nowadays, their ranch was well-known for its racing stock. Like many, the Aspens had benefited greatly from the post-war economic boom.

It was nearly lunch when we reached what Wayne had called “the quarry”, which I realized was a considerable understatement when we finally saw it. We looked down into a massive hole in the ground, nearly as wide as a soccer field. Terraces and ramps carved out of beautiful white stone sloped into the center of the pit. It was at least twenty meters deep, but the flooded portion in the center could have been much deeper. An entire herd of Rhyhorn seemed to be relaxing in the pit - cooling themselves off in the water, napping in the scant shade provided by the steep walls, or even eating bits of rock. Their hides were made of the same streaked white stone as the quarry was, which I was entranced by. I had only ever seen Rhyhorn with the usual light gray coat they were known for.

Gloria set out a blanket near the edge of the quarry and began to unpack lunch. The rest of us busied ourselves with bringing our Pokemon out to get some exercise. Wayne’s Tyranitar, Autumn, descended into the quarry to sunbathe. As she did, bits of gravel and sand began to pick up in an orbit around her. Soon she was surrounded by a miniature sandstorm. Many of the Rhyhorn flocked around her to relax in the flurry of sand.

Morgan sat leaning against Grover, who was sprawled on the grass. Both seemed to be barely awake, content to relax for a while. Her smaller Pokemon had much more energy. They chased each other around wildly, playing with a faded yellow tennis ball. Occasionally one would bring it over to Morgan and drop it in her lap, and she would throw it in a high, lazy arc that the three Pokemon chased after with glee.

I was worried about having both of my Pokemon out at once. The last time they had seen each other was when they were fighting. Pyre probably wouldn’t be bothered, since she was a little bigger and had come out of that fight on top. I brought Exeggcute out of their Pokeball first, thinking I could try and make them comfortable before introducing Pyre. The Exeggcute’s light pink shell glistened with the rain from yesterday. They shook themselves off, scattering a few droplets of water. We were a little ways away from the others and their Pokemon, but the Exeggcute were glancing behind me, eyeing the rest of the group warily. 

I quickly produced a tinfoil ball from my pocket and began to unwrap it, revealing some of the leftover rice from breakfast that I had balled up and saved for just this occasion. I had fed the Exeggcute rice already yesterday, so it seemed they knew what to expect. They eagerly bounced over to me and gathered at my feet, completely forgetting about the presence of other people and Pokemon. I sat down on the grass and pinched a bit of rice from the ball. Feeding the Exeggcute was kind of fun, as each one tried to push the others out of the way in an attempt to get at the next bit of rice.

After I had fed them about half, I brought Pyre out of her ball as well. Pyre chirped and began to stretch deeply. I realized it had been over a day since she had last been out, and felt a little guilty. The Exeggcute had tensed up and were watching her closely. As I expected, Pyre didn’t seem bothered as she finished stretching.

I lured her over with the rest of the rice. She didn’t wait for me to feed it to her in pieces. After eating the first bite I offered her, she thrust her nose into the tinfoil wrapper and started to eat the rest with aggressive bites. Fortunately, this gave the Exeggcute some time to watch her and relax slightly. After finishing the rest of the rice, Pyre withdrew her snout from the tinfoil. A few grains of rice stuck to her nose and chin, which she licked off aggressively. She regarded the Exeggcute for a moment and gave a few cursory sniffs, then lost interest and turned back to me. I scratched her behind her ears, to which she sighed in satisfaction.

I heard footsteps in the grass, and looked back to see Wayne approaching.

“”Vulpix and Exeggcute, huh?” Wayne said appraisingly, “That’s pretty rough.”

“What do you mean?” I asked defensively. I didn’t like the implication that my Pokemon weren’t very good.

“Well, neither one of them evolve on their own,” He explained, “Vulpix evolves when exposed to a Fire Stone-”

“And Exeggcute with a Leaf Stone, yeah,” I finished, “Morgan mentioned that one. Those are both pretty expensive?” I was starting to see what he meant by it being a tough situation.

“Yeah,” He said, sounding regretful, “It isn’t necessary to evolve your Pokemon - plenty of trainers don’t - but it can be a huge boost in power. It can make some of the middling badges much easier to earn.” It didn’t escape my notice that he was talking as if he expected me to continue my journey, rather than trying to talk me out of it as he had last night.

“What would you do, in my position?”

“In your position?” He chuckled at that. “You could always look for the evolution stones you need - sometimes there’s good deals on them. You have connections you could leverage, too. Who knows, you might get lucky and stumble onto one in the wild somewhere.”

“You don’t sound very certain of those options.”

He sighed, “Yeah. The best thing for you to do is catch more Pokemon, rather than trying to shore up the ones you already have. Normally you’d have gotten a starter Pokemon that could evolve more easily - like Bulbasaur, Totodile, or Torchic - but Jacob kinda screwed you ov-” He cut himself off with a sharp inhale, “Shit. Sorry.”

The slip hadn’t really gotten to me. I’m not sure I would have even given it a second thought if he hadn’t mentioned it. To tell the truth, this past week I had been so focused on moving forward - on getting to the next goal, then the next - I hadn’t given myself the time to examine how I felt. I didn’t feel like I was slowing down, even now. Maybe it would be a while longer for these thoughts to catch up with me.

“No big deal.”

Wayne seemed to have lost his train of thought, and there was a long lull that I filled by scratching Pyre under her jaw. She leaned into my hand and sighed loudly.

“So, did you choose to become a trainer?” I ventured.

Wayne sat himself down across from me, not making eye contact, but watching Pyre. “Not really,” He began hesitantly, “I got kicked out of school when I was thirteen. In the outlying regions you sometimes get a choice with the Amber Act - you can apply for the Youth Agriculture program and work on a farm somewhere if you don’t want to become a trainer. That’s why Matthew is staying here and working for us,” He flicked his chin lazily towards the house and the other buildings in the distance.

“But you didn’t go with that option.”

“Yeah, farm work wasn’t for me,” He said, laughing, then leaned in to fake a whisper, “Between you and me? It still isn’t.”

We shared a small laugh before Gloria called us over to eat.

\---

The afternoon passed in the sluggish manner typical of a sweat-drenched summer day. It wasn’t until after we had eaten dinner that Morgan and I finally got around to cleaning our gear. Gloria had washed the rest of our clothes, which were now hanging up to dry, but the remaining contents of our packs were now emptied out onto the porch. Most of our stuff was still a little damp, so we laid it all out to dry properly. The sun hadn’t set quite yet. Hopefully everything would be dry enough by the time we left tomorrow.

All of Morgan’s gear was obviously secondhand, probably from her parents’ time as Pokemon trainers. Her sleeping bag and mat, tarp, and pack were all mismatched, faded pastel colors in a style that might have been popular a couple decades ago. Her gear was tough, though. And heavy. I found I could barely lift her pack off the ground, and certainly wouldn’t be able to carry it on my back for a day.

Compared to Morgan’s, my military surplus-style gear was rather sparse. The uniform olive drab color was simple and functional, if a little depressing. My wool blanket and rucksack even had ‘URRA’ - for ‘United Regions Regular Army’ - stamped on them.

As we shook out our bags and collected some of our accumulated trash, Wayne sauntered around the side of the house.

“Hey y’all,” He drawled, “How’s the prep going?”

“Nearly done.” Morgan replied as she draped her empty pack over the railing. Finished, she stood at the top of the steps, hands on her hips, looking down at Wayne.

He stood at the base of the steps, “Good, good,” He nodded, “When you’re all finished up, I was thinking the three of us could get some training in.”

That got my attention. Training with a Champion? I wondered what he had in mind.

“Definitely.” Morgan said. She smiled wide, and I was struck with the belated realization that I hadn’t seen such a genuine smile from her in days. “We could both use the practice before we challenge the gym in Port Lucius.”

Wayne perked up at that, as well. “Nice. Come around the back when y’all’re done here. I’ve got a couple ideas.”

It didn’t take us long to scrub off the more mud-caked portions of our gear and hang everything up to dry. Walking around the house, we recognized Wayne farther out near the stables, waving us over. He had spray-painted a large white rectangle in the dirt. It was like a playing field for soccer, but smaller and simpler. I knew that Pokemon battles sometimes happened on a field of some sort, but I wasn’t sure what the point of them was. And why did he make one here, if we were just training? Wayne smiled at us as we approached, and flipped the can of spray paint in his hand.

“Okay, I have some goals for this training,” He said as he twirled the paint canister loosely, “Do either of you know anything about the Port Lucius gym?”

I shook my head, “Nothing.”

“It’s a dark-type gym,” Morgan offered, “But I haven’t heard anything else about it.”

“Robin Kelly is the gym leader there.” His brow knit as he said the words, “We aren’t on good terms, exactly, but I know her style. I bring Autumn to the gym every once in a while to train with Robin’s Tyranitar.”

“Wait, she has a Tyranitar like yours?” I was suddenly dreading my first gym battle. How was I supposed to fight something like that?

Wayne stopped spinning the paint can, looking confused, “Yeah, I guess,” His words were hesitant, uncertain, “Hers is trained different than Autumn is, but they’re sorta similarly matched.” 

My face must have drained of color then, because Morgan sighed and cut in, “Wayne, she thinks that she’s going to have to battle a Tyranitar for her first badge,” Then, turning to me, “Anwen, the gym leader won’t use her strongest Pokemon in your fight. That would make getting badges impossible.”

Wayne’s eyes widened with understanding, “Oh, no,” He chuckled lightly, “Gym leaders choose which Pokemon to use based on how many badges the challenger has. Since you don’t have any yet, she’ll probably use much weaker Pokemon.”

“Probably?” I questioned. I was somewhat relieved, but the way he said it was strange.

“Well I said Robin and I don’t really get along,” He admitted, “Part of that is how she runs the gym. She’s tough, and doesn’t really pull her punches like some gym leaders do. She’s going to make you work to earn her gym’s badge.”

I nodded, “Okay, so what’s the plan?”

“I could explain, but it might be easier just to show you,” Wayne jerked his head over towards the other side of the white rectangle, “Start with Pyre. Your Exeggcute won’t handle dark-types very well, so you’re going to have to rely on her to get you the badge.”

I walked over to where Wayne had indicated as he took up a spot on the nearer side of the field. I activated Pyre’s ball and tossed it. Her head darted around, looking first at Wayne, then at the white lines surrounding her, then lastly at me. Noticing my stance, she crouched and barked playfully in Wayne’s direction.

Wayne nodded approvingly, then threw out his own Pokeball. The white glow gave way to a small Pokemon that had the same hide and sunken eyes as Autumn did, but without the menacing spikes. My Pokedex told me it was a Larvitar, an unevolved form of Tyranitar.

“Junior here is from one of Autumn’s egg clutches,” Wayne called across the field, “He won’t attack unless I tell him to, right Junior?” The little Larvitar gave no response, but seemed to stiffen a bit, taking up a wide stance like a sumo wrestler. “I want to see if you can get Pyre to damage him.”

“That’s all?” I asked, confused at the request.

“It won’t be that simple,” He smiled, “Consider it part one of the demonstration.”

“Okay then,” I said, returning his smile, “Pyre, go for it!”

She lunged from her position, closing the distance between her and the Larvitar in only a few strides. Her jaws went straight to its neck, but Junior didn’t budge. I only heard the scraping of teeth against unyielding rock. Junior eyed her dangerously, but remained still. After a few more tries, readjusting and biting from different angles with the same result, she backed off. The two Pokemon watched each other intently as Pyre began to growl and circle her opponent.

“Biting isn’t working,” I called to her, “Hit it hard and knock it over!”

She understood, dashing in a wide loop to charge at it. She was fast, but her small body wasn’t enough. She threw her shoulder straight into Junior’s chest and nearly bounced off, landing awkwardly in the dirt. I shot Wayne a look of annoyance. Was he just trying to make me feel bad?

“Okay,” He called out, “That’s good for now. What did you notice?”

“Pyre can’t hurt him, obviously,” I said impatiently, “His hide is too tough, and he’s too heavy for her to move.”

“That’s right,” He continued, “Now, Pyre knows Hypnosis, but it wouldn’t do her any good in this situation, right?”

Morgan piped up from the sidelines, “Yeah, even if Junior’s asleep, Pyre still couldn’t damage his hide in any meaningful way.”

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, I get it. There’s more to this?”

I thought Wayne might be enjoying this as he continued in a calm drawl, “Part two,” Wayne held up two fingers, “Has to do with Vulpix’s type. She’s a fire type, but she’s never used fire before.”

That stung a little, and not just because he had said it so matter-of-factly. “Fine, yeah, I’m a bad trainer.”

“No, you’re a _new_ trainer. There’s a difference.” Wayne withdrew something from his pocket. From this distance, all I saw was a glint of metal before he flung it at me. I barely caught the small square of metal, fumbling with it as it bounced off my shoulder. I was an old flint-and-wick lighter. “In the wild,” Wayne continued, “A Vulpix would learn to control fire from its parents, or on its own eventually. We’re going to speed up the process a bit.”

I was a little skeptical. “Isn’t this dangerous?”

“For you, maybe a little,” He smiled mischievously, “But not for her. Most Vulpix can’t even be hurt by fire because of their Ability. Look it up in your Pokedex if you want.”

I did. After fumbling through the entries for a bit, I found Pyre’s. It listed Vulpx’s Ability in her entry - something called Flash Fire. Apparently not only was she functionally immune to damage from fire, but it actually made her stronger. Maybe I should have felt better knowing that, but I was too busy dwelling on the shame that I should have known it already. I’d had Pyre for nearly a week now, and I hadn’t even read her full entry in the Pokedex.

Before I could sink any further into self-loathing, I was pulled back to reality by Pyre rubbing her snout against my ankle. She chirped gently at me. It was funny, she didn’t care whether I was a good trainer or a bad one or anything in between, only that I was _her_ trainer.

I pulled myself together.

Kneeling down next to Pyre, I opened the lighter and thumbed it on. She tilted her head in curiosity. I brought the flame up next to her face, hoping she would do… something with it, I guess? She nipped at it once, the flame flitting harmlessly along her fur. Her eyes lit up in recognition, and she opened her mouth wide.

Whoosh.

I felt the rush of superheated air before I even realized what it meant. My body instinctively threw itself backwards, away from the choking heat and the column of flame that followed. I was clumsily splayed out on the dirt, blinking my eyes to clear the spots from my vision.

Wayne and Morgan were howling with laughter.

I sat bolt upright, yelling “Fuck! What the hell you two?”

“That was… too perfect…” Morgan wheezed between gleeful gasps.

“Are you kidding?” I was incredulous, “I could’ve died!”

Wayne dabbed at an eye with his wrist, wiping away a stray tear, “Nah that was mostly safe, I think. Hoo, I have always wanted to do that.”

Morgan had her face buried in the grass and was still convulsing with muffled laughter. She stole a look up at me, “It’s good, you’re-” She covered her face again and resumed the fit with renewed intensity.

“What’s wrong?” My hands flew up to my face, feeling for something wrong. When I pulled them away they were black with soot.

Pyre, I noticed, was bounding around the field, scorching the ground with occasional streams of flame. At least everyone _else_ was having fun.

“Yeah you’re gonna need to wash up,” Wayne said, “And, uh…” He sucked his teeth hesitantly, “You look good with bangs, right?”

\---

We eventually managed to finish training, though we were out until past sunset. Pyre got better at controlling her use of fire, and we spent some time making sure she knew to stay in the limits of the field. Wayne had Autumn train with Grover, teaching him how to deal with her sandstorm. I think we both felt better about our chances at the gym.

Later in the evening, after I had taken a bath, I sat with Gloria on the back porch. She had me sitting on a cushion under the soft yellow glow of the porchlight, and was doing her best to trim my singed hair into something salvageable. 

“Did you wanna talk about last night, hon?” She asked, shearing off a traumatically long lock of hair from the top of my head.

I groaned, both in distress over the loss and in dread over the topic, “Wayne said he was gonna tell you about it.”

“He did. Don’t reckon that’s the lot of it, though,” The scissors snipped again, “So, do you wanna talk?”

“Maybe,” I played with a bit of hair that now didn’t even reach my eyebrows, “But Wayne made it seem like such a big deal. Promise not to freak out like that?”

“I promise.” Gloria chuckled softly, “That boy has a hard time wrapping his mind around subtlety. He sees everything in black and white. Comes with the territory, I guess.”

“With what territory?”

“Oh, just his job,” She exhaled deeply, “Working for the League, and the military sometimes. I’m proud of him, but I worry that he gets so hung up on laws and rules he doesn’t get the big picture.”

I tried to turn my head to look at her, but her strong hand directed me to keep looking forward, “You don’t think laws should be followed, necessarily?” I asked critically.

“Oh, hon. Laws change all the time. You get some new ones, get rid of some old ones. That doesn’t make doin’ or not doin’ somethin’ good or bad. I been around too long to care how someone else tells me to live my life.”

I stifled a laugh. She was younger than my parents, even, but the way she talked sounded like a ripe old woman.

She continued, “Y’know, I wasn’t more than a year or so older than you when my husband and I were married. How old do you think he was?”

I didn’t have any reference, I realized. I hadn’t seen him, of course, or noticed any pictures of him around the house. I was forced to guess. “Twenty?”

She snipped another long lock of hair off. I watched it fall to the ground in dismay. “He was twenty-seven,” She said, “Doesn’t make your little romance with Jacob seem so terrible, in the grand scheme of things, don’t you think?”

“Jacob mentioned your place to me. He said you were friends of his, actually.”

“He and Wayne grew up together. Those two were always getting into some trouble or another.” She ran a brush through my hair, and some loose hairs settled on my shoulders, “But you didn’t answer my question, hon.”

I groaned again, “I don’t know. I haven’t stopped to think about it much. I’ve been so focused on stuff that was more important.” The hairs started to itch my shoulders. I brushed them off halfheartedly. “What about you? How did you feel about marrying someone that much older?”

“Never stopped to think about it much either, to be honest. It wasn’t so strange back then, I guess. Like I said, laws change, and people change. What matters the most is how you feel about it here,” she tapped my head, “and here.” and reached around my shoulder to tap the center of my chest.

I considered that. Maybe it meant something that I didn’t give it much thought. Jacob and I had just sort of happened, as a consequence of us spending so much time together. I guess it didn’t feel quite right, but isn’t that part of why I didn’t stay? He didn’t mean so much to me that I could turn away from the path that I chose. Our time together wasn’t without meaning, but nothing about it was eating me up inside. I was confused why Wayne’s reaction had struck me as hard as it did.

Gloria set down the scissors. “You’re lucky, hon. You got all the time in the world to decide how to feel about it, okay?”

I nodded and she handed me a small, antique-looking hand mirror. She had salvaged my hair into a rough bob that stopped just shy of my shoulders. I frowned as I brushed at the bangs with my fingers. The whole thing wasn’t really my style. It was going to be a pain waiting for it all to grow out again.

I looked back up at Gloria. Her smile was tender and patient. I blinked my eyes forcefully as I felt them start to mist up.

I threw my arms around Gloria’s neck and buried my face in her shoulder. “Thank you,” My voice was a choked whisper, “Thank you for everything.”

She folded her arms around me in return. “It’s no trouble, hon.”

\---

The next morning, Morgan and I had packed our bags and were ready to leave. We had eaten a light breakfast, and Gloria had even packed us sandwiches and fruit for lunch. It was early, and the misty marine layer hadn’t yet been burned away by the rising sun. Our steps crunched on the gravel as we stepped off the porch. Wayne and Gloria were there to see us off.

Gloria hugged me, and then Morgan, and we thanked her again for her hospitality.

Wayne wished Morgan luck as he shook her hand. Then he turned to me. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small red ball. He held it out to me.

“Anwen, this is for you. It’s one of our newborn Rhyhorn. I want you to have her.”

I gave him a critical look. “I can become strong on my own,” I insisted, “I don’t want charity.”

He groaned in frustration, but his smile told me he expected that response. “Then don’t call it charity,” He drawled, “Consider it a bribe. Promise to give your father a call. Let him know what’s going on.”

I held up my hand hesitantly. Wayne didn’t have the patience to wait for me, though. He took my hand and placed the ball in my palm.

“Promise me.”

“Alright, I’ll do it,” I jerked my hand away, “I’ll call him when we get to Port Lucius.”

“Thank you.”

I hugged the ball to my chest.

“Robin will use two Pokemon for your gym challenge. If Pyre can’t beat them both by herself, then that Rhyhorn will cinch you the win.” Wayne instructed, “Don’t use her if you don’t have to, though. Robin will know where it came from.”

“Got it.” I examined the ball. It was a deep red on both the top and bottom, and had an exaggerated indent where the seam was. I wondered what type of ball it was. “Does she have a name?”

“Not yet. Did you have an idea?”

I nodded.

“Charity.”


End file.
